


Pepperony Home Aloney

by topdawg27



Category: Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: Adorable Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Coronavirus, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Parent Pepper Potts, Parent Tony Stark, Pepperony - Freeform, Pepperony in lockdown
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:27:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 34,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23839840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/topdawg27/pseuds/topdawg27
Summary: With the COVID lockdown in place, both CEO Pepper Potts and her cute daughter Morgan are confined to their LA mansion. After 4 days, they start experiencing cabin fever and it is up to Tony Stark, super-distractor extraordinaire to save them!AN: Mostly a one-shot since I only have one idea at the moment.
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Comments: 27
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pepperonys](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pepperonys/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, this one-shot is dedicated to my Muse and Pepperony Grand-Master 'igotyoufirst', who has always motivated me with her kind lovely comments and adoration...

"I don't know, Mr. Stark, I think the web slingers need to have a higher rate of projection! The viscosity of the webbing is alarming! They've started leaving marks on the walls! Here, I'll show you!"

Tony folded his arms across his chest, sighing to himself as Peter's face disappeared and the camera shifted abruptly. Then he was presented with an extreme close-up of something slimey.

"Woah! Kid, that's too close! Zoom back a little."

The camera refocused and he could now see gooey pearly strands on a faded beige-green background, that seemed to be the only bare area on Peter's poster-adorned wall.

"See!"

"Pete... buddy... I am almost afraid to ask... how did those marks get there?"

The camera shifted and Peter's face came into view. His big brown eyes shifted evasively.

"Erm.. well... I was... I hang the slingers up there so..."

Tony just tapped his foot, quirking an eyebrow.

"Okay, I'll admit it, I've been climbing the walls here with boredom! I can't go out, there's nothing to do-"

"Don't you have school? I mean, video classes?"

"Yeah but that's even more boring than regular school! Endless slides and images and text, oh god, huge passages of text and there's no Ned to pass note and no MJ to talk to! I thought attending class was boring, turns out watching classes is even worse! And oh, there's no labs or library time! Or PE!"

Tony couldn't help but laugh. Peter looked at him mournfully.

"Mr. Stark, I can't believe you're laughing at me...."

"It's just..." he shook his head. "I thought you hated PE!"

"I know, I do but right now... "

The camera shifted and he was looking down at Peter's sad face as the young man flopped down on his bed.

"I'd give anything for something to do... other than wake up, watch class, watch class some more, with only Aunt May for company... I mean, I love Aunt May and I'm so happy at least I have her, she talks a lot but at least she's there but..."

He sighed sadly.

"I'm going stir-crazy, Mr. Stark..."

"I know, kid, I know..."

With the increasing rise in COVID cases, schools and colleges across the country had been closed. Which meant his young friend was at home, chafing at his mandatory confinement. Going outside was not advised unless absolutely necessary. And knowing Peter's overprotective guardian, it was doubtful Peter would get a chance to leave the apartment any time soon.

"Mr Stark..." Peter said, smiling slightly. "Can't you do something... can't you use my Stark 'internship' excuse and get me out of here! On some official-sounding Avengers business! I saw how Captain Rogers and Black Widow were helping with hospitals and I thought I-"

"Peter. Imma stop you right there." Tony said firmly. "Yes, the Avengers are doing their best to help the nation in this time of crisis but with a sense of caution. We have a rotation of duty. Last week, it was me and Banner, flying out cases of medicine and supplies to Italy. This week, it is Capn and Nat's turn. They are the ground forces. Professor Banner is supervising it all and he runs a tight ship, what with the hourly temperature check ins and microbial filters embedded in our suits. In fact, Banner is trying to create something that can be used by the masses but wait, I'm going off topic here... the point is... kid, all of us in some way or the other, have compromised our immune system to the point where it doesn't really function as expected. I mean, Cap's super-serum made him invincible... Banner's the Jolly Green Giant and Natasha... well, Natasha's tough enough to frighten away almost anything! But Barton, he's not with us, he's at home, where he stays because he's just human and he has to keep safe for the sake of his kids... and the same rule applies for you... underneath that fancy spidey suit, you are just a kid..."

At the dark scowl on Peter's face, he quickly amended, "I mean you are just human. You have an immune system just like the rest of the populace and we can't risk you getting infected."

"I got bitten by a radioactive spider, surely that should count for something!"

"Young man, you still catch colds, you are still growing, we can't... we can't say for sure if you are immune to this strain of virus..."

Peter lowered his head. Tony felt his heart break at the young man's sadness.

"Hey, hey! Listen... now I shouldn't be encouraging you but... well, you have the Iron Spider suit, you are Spiderman! Why can't you crank open the window and sneak out... at night? When no one's around! Stick to the rooftops, avoid any shennanigans and just... sling from building to building in your neighborhood!"

Peter's sad brown eyes slowly raised to meet his. 

"I thought of that but... but I can't coz... Aunt May came to know that the suit has a tracking system. She's downloaded some sort of monitoring app on her phone and set an alarm based on the GPS coordinates of this house. If I sneak out, she'll come to know and then..." He shuddered. "Well, she can be really scary when she's mad, I tell ya."

Tony couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Eh... how did your Aunt May... figure out how to do all that? No offense meant but it's just... your Aunt?"

He was glad to see Peter grin widely.

"She asked her boyfriend, Happy, who set it up for her with some help from Stark Tech."

"Doi! Happy! The chubby snitch! Of course! He's an absolute sucker for your aunt!"

"Yeah... they have these mushy smoochy Facetime sessions, I keep walking in on them... yuck!"

Tony scratched his chin.

"Hold on here... if Stark Tech set it up, I can talk to them... under the table... ask them nicely to change the settings, so that... at least at night... you can roam around."

Peter sprang up excitedly. "Really, Mr. Stark?! Oh please! Anything to get me out!"

"Ssshh! Kid, the walls in your apartment are pretty thin! Calm down! I'll see what I can do and let you know. But you can only roam around at night and only for half hour! I'll make sure there some sort of time check!"

Peter clearly hadn't heard a word he said, he was busy bouncing up and down on the bed with jubilation.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark! Yipee! Free at last!!"

Just then, they both heard someone yelling in the distance.

"Oh no! Did Aunt May hear me! Shit!"

"Language, young man!"

"I gotta go, Mr. Stark! I'll talk to you later! Thanks again!"

The video call ended and Tony leaned back in his chair. He folded his hands behind his head.

"Friday, who do we know in Stark Tech, that can help us break young Parker free from his aunt's devious monitoring?"

"Sir, Mr. Kalb from Information Security. To start with."

"To start?"

"Yes, we will need to talk to Information Security to understand how to change the settings in Miss May's phone remotely without her knowledge. I must mention they may not be very cooperative in that matter. Then we need to talk to the Wearable Tech and the Navigation Research departments to understand how to change the coordinate lock. And finally we need to-"

"Imma stop you right there, Friday. I think it would be much easier for me just do it myself. I designed the Iron Spider suit, I know where the code is, I just need to do some digging."

He rubbed his palms together with excitement. "Some good old-fashioned code updation! After so long!"

For next fifteen minutes, Tony worked with abject concentration, scanning the lines of code that made up the Iron Spider's tracking system.

"Here's a class for coordinate limits... and here's the maximum and the minimum limit check... and oh! Found it! Notification for coordinate limit reached... wait a minute, that's the notification! That's to alert Aunt May! Where is the limit itself? Hmm... a property... of course! The maximum limit is a user-defined value, how stupid of me, the value's going to be stored in the Properties Manager!"

He smacked himself on the head. "Why didn't I think of this earlier?! I've been going over the code but I should have just checked the properties first!"

From somewhere behind him, there was a faint giggle.

He quickly turned around in his seat. But there was no one there.

Tony stood up, a smile growing on his lips. He took two steps forward and then inhaled deeply. The fragrance of baby powder filled his nostrils.

"Fee Fi FO FUM! I smell the scent of a little one!"

He moved towards the left, heard another giggle and immediately changed course.

"Be she alive and in my den, I'll find her and hug her bones until she squeals!"

He looked under his lab table and around his desk but he couldn't find Morgan.

"Oh my! The tiny beast has vanished! What sorcery is this!"

Another giggle filled the air and he immediately turned on his heel.

"Aha! The little creature is still here!"

Slowly walking towards his Audi, he looked inside.

"So she isn't in the car... where could she be.... hmmmmmmmmmm.....hmmmmmm..."

There was a muffled giggle and he rounded the car quickly to find his daughter crouching by the trunk.

"Gotcha, you little imp!"

Scooping her up into his arms, he kissed her soundly. 

"Whatcha doing, Daddy?"

"Oh nothing much pumpkin, just trying to help a young spider."

Morgan leaned back in his embrace. She scrunched up her nose in confusion.

"A spider? Is he stuck somewhere?"

"Yes! Young Spider Man is stuck in his house in Queens and I thought I could help him out..."

"A mission! I wanna help too!"

He couldn't help but chuckle at her happiness.

"Now, now, young squire..." carrying her over to his computer desk, he sat her down in his chair. "Don't you have school? Or should I say video class?"

Morgan cutely drew her bottom lip into her mouth, nibbling on it as she studied him with her big brown eyes. He felt a rush of tenderness well up inside him, at the achingly familiar gesture, one that she had definitely inherited from her mother.

_Sometimes I can't believe Virginia 'Pepper' Potts actually agreed to marry me and have a child with me... a child that's so much her and me and yet... so different and unique... I'_ _m not making much sense but that's the effect Morgan has on me at times..._

He gently pushed her thick brown hair back from her face.

"I do have... class...." Morgan said slowly, looking away from him. "I mean I did. But then! But then my tablet got... oh yeah! My table got disnetted from the Wi-Fi, so I came to find you, Daddy!"

She lifted her hands and he picked her up. Then he sat down, settling her in his lap.

"Your tablet got disconnected, huh? That's strange..."

"Yup. Mommy is in a meeting, so I didn't wanna disturb her..."

Her statement made Tony feel guilty.

To minimize the risk of infection, Pepper had closed down the office and most Stark Industries employees were working from home. Only limited research teams, whose work needed a laboratory and specialized tools, were allowed to go to the office. But they were restricted to their labs, had to wear Hazmat suits and were only allowed to stay on-premise for a limited period of time.

Pepper was also at home, working out of her cozy home office on the top floor. As was his habit of long, Tony spent most of his time, working in his basement. This arrangement meant they wouldn't get in each other's way because they had drastic different working styles. But due to the quarantine, Morgan was also at home, a first for either of them. They did not want to leave her all on her own to study and since his basement was full of equipment and tools, Pepper said Morgan could study with her in her office.

_Shit, I've got it easy, I get to stay down here and play loud music and video call whoever I want and eat junk... while Pepper's doing actual work! Attending meetings, going over briefs, taking business decisions, and watching Morgan at the same time! It can't be easy working with a kid around... especially a precocious bright-eyed imp like my daughter... who loves to talk..._

Morgan choose that very moment to give him a cute smile, making his heart clench.

_Awww... this is hard on her too... okay, let's give Pepper a break for some time._

He cuddled his daughter to him and murmured, "Supreme Commander, why don't you stay down here for a little while and help me in my mission?"

She squealed with happiness and hugged him tighter.

Balancing Morgan on one knee, Tony put his glasses back on and resumed his code changes. His daughter entertained him with a steady stream of chatter: how Todd Hansen loved to eat fresh boggers and the one time Emma Chan brought the most delicious hot dogs and hotteok and that Miss Tiedens, her class teacher, had promised there would be a class trip to a local biscuit company.

Noticing that every story was related to food, Tony opened his desk drawer and pulled out a box of Girl Scout cookies from his secret snack stash.

As they contentedly snacked on cookies, he finished up his changes and uploaded them to the server.

"Okay kiddo... let me just inform the Spiderling that he is free... of sorts..."

He picked up his phone and messaged Peter.

"There! All done! Now let's see why your tablet lost its connection."

He opened the Network Manager on his computer and looked at the diagram of devices connected to the home Wi-Fi.

"Daddyyy? Do you want me to go away?"

"What? No pumpkin, it's just you have to get back to studying and... wait a minute... this says manual disconnect... the network was manually..."

Tony stood up, lifting Morgan from his lap and placing her on the desk. He leaned forward and looked her straight in the eye.

"Morgoona Maria Stark, did you disconnect your tablet from the Wi-Fi on purpose?"

His daughter nibbled cutely on her bottom lip, evasively looking away.

"Morgooona..." he tilted her chin up to make her look at him. "Talk to me, young lady."

She blinked slowly and then blurted out, "Daddy, what's an orgasm?"

Tony squeaked with horror.

"Okay, who told you that, where did you learn that word?!"

"My friend Timmy learnt it from his brother Joey, who is in the eighth grade, he keeps saying it is an important thing that happens to women and they should know all about it because it is a lot of fun. And that men have Ogasms too but..."

As she prattled on about the horrifying word, Tony closed his eyes, thinking hard on how to change the subject. Then he realized that was exactly what Morgan was trying to do.

"Hold on, miss smarty pants... I know what you are trying to, you can't pull that trick on me missy, I invented that trick! Now come clean! Did you disconnect the Wi-Fi on your tablet?"

Morgan slowly nodded, her big brown eyes wide as saucers.

"Why, honey?"

"I... I was studying, I really was! But then... I started thinking... about... about Miss Tiedens... my teacher... and I... I got sad, I miss her... I miss school... I miss my friends, I miss... everything... and I... I got scared, Daddy! I got really scared, what if I never see them again... so I just..."

His heart dropped as her eyes glazed over with tears and she sniffed.

"I just came to see you..."

"Hey, hey, pumpkin... you'll go back to school, don't worry! Come here..."

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her hair.

"Morgan, I know this is all very scary and bad but things will get better, I promise you, this pandemic won't last forever and someday, soon hopefully, you'll go back to school and see your friends. Till then..."

He let her go and looked into her innocent eyes. "Till then, you have to focus on the positives. I know its hard but you need to."

"What... what are the positives, Daddy?"

"Well, by staying at home, all your friends remain safe and sound... they aren't exposed to the spread of infection and that's good, right? Even Miss Tiedens... I know you miss seeing her everyday and I'm sure she misses you very much but she's also at home and the more she stays at home, the safer she is..."

Morgan nodded slowly.

"Is the... is the infection all around us, Daddy?"

"Yes... and no... it can easily spread through the air by coming in contact with an infected person.. and no one knows who is infected and who isn't... because the symptoms can take up to a week to show and there are some people who are carriers and won't even get sick but they carry the infection... so it is really really important to practice social distancing and stay away from people, until a vaccine is found or the number of infected reduce... our country's doctors and nurses and so many others are doing so much, we just need to have hope and stay safe, so we don't add to their work. Alright?"

Morgan nodded sadly and looked down.

"I just want everyone to be okay... I don't want anyone to fall sick... Miss Tiedens lives all alone, she shouldn't get sick..."

"Yeah, this is tough on everyone, it is a tough time but... we have each other and that's good..."

"You are right, Daddy, I'm still sad but I... I want everyone to be safe and... and I'm so happy I'm not alone, I got you and mommy all to myself!"

She hugged his arm, smiling up at him with her big beautiful brown eyes. He pushed her tufty hair back from her face and cupped her cheek.

"Believe me, honey, the only thing keeping me going, are you and your mom..."

He picked her up and kissed her fiercely.

"You are all I have, you know... I don't know what I'd do without you two in my life..."

She buried her face in his neck and giggled.

"Daddy, prickly!"

"That's because I am half cactus, half man!"

He walked over to his Audi, carrying her in his arms.

"I think we've both been cooped up for too long... how about a short drive? Till the end of the lane and back?"

Morgan bounced excitedly in his arms, squealing loudly.

"Hey, hey, not so loud! Do you want the Mommy Police to come down here and hand our ash to us?"

Morgan cutely covered her mouth with her hand, nodding her head.

"We gotta to be hush hush about it..."

He opened the car door and bent, so that he could place Morgan in the passenger seat.

"Now just this once, you get to ride shotgun alright? But again, no telling Mommy!"

He buckled her seat belt and then rounded the car. Sitting in the driver's seat, he put his own seat belt on and then started the engine.

"Daddy..." Morgan said softly, making him turn to her.

"Yes, pumpkin."

Her big brown eyes were filled with worry.

"What about Mommy? Can't she come with us?"

"Mommy must be busy with office work... I doubt she'll be able to come with us..."

Morgan fiddled with her thumbs, nibbling on her bottom lip. He tapped her softly under her chin, making her look up at him.

"What's the matter, sweetheart?"

"I... I think Mommy needs a break too, daddy... she's been working for sooooo long..."

"Now, hold on...." he unbuckled his seat belt and turned in his seat, towards her. "Let me tell you something, young padawan... there are some people in this world, who love their job... be it gardening or drawing or teaching others. Now your mother is the head honcho of a big rich company... so the endless meetings, the decision-making, the going over long boring reports, the arguing with the board members... anybody else, myself included, would hate it! But not your mom! She loves every moment of being the boss! It helps that she's also an absolute natural! So I know it may seem long and endless to you and you're right, it is but for your mom... it's easy!"

"But Dadddyyy..." Morgan caught his hand. "I know Mommy loves her work but... she keeps talking to herself and rubbing her shoulders and her face... I don't know, she seems tired..."

Tony sat back with a sigh.

"Well... maybe you have a point... she has been cooped up in that office for a long time... and she does not know when to stop, she just keeps going on and on, even when she's dead tired... like the Energizer bunny..."

"Bunny!!" Morgan said excitedly and he laughed.

"It's the mascot for Energizer batteries, little pink bunny, flip-flips, sunglasses-"

"I wanna see, I wanna seeee!!" Morgan bounced excitedly in her seat.

"Okay sport, hold on... Friday! Pull up Youtube please and search for Energizer Bunny ads. And put it on the screen in front of us."

Immediately, a video was projected on the car windshield. Morgan cheered excitedly.

Tony murmured, "Also set it on autoplay, so that Miss Stark can watch to her heart's content, while I think."

"Yes, Sir."

As Morgan gleefully watched the ads, Tony propped his chin on his fingers and began to think out loud.

"I need to get Potts out of her office... no small feat because... well, this is Virginia Potts we are talking about, the CEO of Stark Industries, she's used to working 15-hour days, no need for breaks, stickler for punctuality, loves reading 100,000 character briefs etc. etc., I can't go in and command her to take a break! Oh no, no, no! I value my life too much! So what do we do... hmmmm, I need to divert her from working... by giving her something else to do... but not just anything! It needs to be something functional... and yet exciting enough... just to distract her..."

"Maybe if we ask Mommy to make lunch, she'll stop working..." Morgan said absently, her eyes glued to the moving video.

"Maybe...but then again, young Morgoona, she can easily just whip something up for us... in no time at all... and then scurry back into her office... no, we need to keep her work at bay for longer..."

"But Daddy, Mommy hasn't really cooked for us at all! We've been eating hamburgers!"

Something in that statement, caught his interest.

"That's... very true... Pepper hasn't cooked for us... at all... since she's started working from home.... and she loves to cook! Hey, that gives me an idea!"


	2. Chapter 2

"Mrs. Potts, one of our biggest concerns is the Work From Home initiative. At least a thousand of our employees are connecting to the Stark network from their homes, using a secured monitored VPN connection. The large number of ongoing high-security connections is straining the network. Random disconnects, failure to connect, lagging speed etc. complaints have been pouring in since morning."

"This lagging speed is definitely going to affect our productivity. We cannot compromise on our throughput and our research because of network problems! How could IT let this happen?"

"Mr. Lowery, may I remind you that this pandemic is an unprecedented situation that no one saw coming! Our IT resources have never had to account for such a large amount of WFH connections taking place in a single day!"

As the two department heads began to bicker, Pepper sighed inwardly. She was in a conference call with her heads of staff, a call that had been going on for the last two hours.

Due to the burgeoning COVID situation, most of her staff were working from home. The pressures of working around family, the uncertain future and the threat of a spreading deadly virus had managed to turn even her most stoic employees into angry nervous individuals, who simply wanted to snipe at each other. And she really couldn't blame them.

Even she was irritated and on edge from working at home. It had been a novelty at first but after four days indoors, the walls of her home office were beginning to close in on her.

_I miss driving into work... seeing everyone's faces during our daily standup meeting... making my rounds on the floor, talking to the employees... my 11:30 oolong tea break with my lovely secretary Juliet... she would always bring a small snack just for me..._

Her laptop screen suddenly froze and she idly moved her mouse around.

_There it goes again... the VPN randomly disconnected... great... now I have to restart the network, get an OTP, log back in... the whole shebang, all over again..._

She sighed tiredly and pressed the Wi-Fi button on her laptop, holding it down.

_There's so much to do and this... this snail-speed network isn't helping matters! I get such little work done in my eight-hour login time... that I am forced to stay logged in for another 4 hours, just to get something done during the day!_

She covered her hands with her face.

_And I'm so tired because I feel as if I'm always working! I haven't even spent any time with Morgan or with Tony... I just wake up and come in here and start the log in process because it takes such a damn long time and then I eat breakfast and drink my coffee here as well... at least I have dinner with them but that's just one meal in a whole day! I should spend more time with them and especially Morgan, poor thing, she's sitting so quietly in her study corner..._

Pepper lowered her hands and leaned sideways, so that she could smile at her daughter. Much to her shock, the little kiddie desk was empty.

"Morgan!" She called out but there was no answer.

She peeked under the table, thinking her daughter was hiding to tease her but Morgan wasn't there either.

Pepper quickly stood up and walked over to Morgan's study corner by the curtains.

"Her book is still here... her tablet is still here... where could she be?"

She pushed aside the curtains but there was no Morgan hiding behind them. Now she was worried.

She opened the office door and stepped outside onto the landing. Because Tony preferred to work downstairs, the house was still and quiet.

"Morgan! Honey, where are you?" She called out as she descended the stairs. "Morgan!"

"Over here, mommy!" She heard from downstairs. Then she saw the basement door open and Tony came into view, holding Morgan in his arms.

"There you are!" She exhaled heavily with relief as she rushed down the staircase. "When did you wander off? I was searching for you?"

"Madame Secretary had some network issues, so she came to the number one IT technician in the land, that's me, in my underground lair." Tony said cheekily and Morgan nodded, smiling cutely.

"Network issues..." she reached out and gently pushed her daughter's hair away from her face. "Honey, why didn't you tell me? I would have helped you!"

"You were talking to the computer, Mommy... I dinna wanna disturb you..."

Relief immediately turned to deep gut-wrenching guilt.

"Oh yes... the conference call... I'm sorry, I know it went on for a long time, too long... but still, you could have said something, I would have paused the call... next time, tell me, okay?"

Morgan nodded and then looked at Tony and then quickly back at her. Tony shifted on his feet and then whispered in Morgan's ear, making her giggle.

Pepper folded her arms across her chest, trying her best not to smile.

_Judging by the mischievous gleams in their identical brown eyes, these two are definitely up to something... and I know just how to deal with it!_

"Okay! I assume Daddy fixed your network issues, let's go back and study!"

She held out her arms but Morgan shied back, clinging tighter to Tony.

"Daddy has an idea! Tell us, Daddy!"

She stuck her hands in his tufty hair.

"Daddy's idea!" Tony dropped his jaw in mock horror. "Morgoona, I thought we were in this together!"

Pepper looked at Tony inquiringly.

Tony shrugged nonchalantly and then said, "Okay Pep, I'm just going to come out and say it. Our kid has some serious misconceptions about her parents and I think this is the perfect time to correct them."

"Misconceptions? Such as?"

"Well..." He looked at Morgan. "You better say it, squirt, she loves you more than me, she'll go easy on you."

Morgan shyly peeked from between her long locks of brown hair.

"Daddy's right, honey, go on..." she said encouragingly, trying not to laugh at the dark scowl that suddenly appeared on Tony's face.

"Mommy... Daddy said... Daddy said he's a better cook than you..."

The completely unexpected and hilarious statement took her completely by surprise.

"No, he isn't!"

"Oh yes I am, Potts!" Tony said brashly, shifting Morgan in his arms.

Pepper shook her head.

"Stark, you may be a genius in the garage, you are the man with a grease finger with respect to cars and machines..."

"I am also a master in the bedroom..." Tony said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Pepper bit her lip and sure enough, Tony remembered just who he was holding in his arms.

"And by that I mean that I am very good at doing the bed!" He said quickly. Morgan tilted her head with confusion.

"Nice save, Stark. Anyways, when it comes to food... your cooking skills are nonexistent! You burn, you overcook, you overmix, you simply add ingredients that take your fancy but taste horrible in the final result! In summary... you suck at cooking!"

Tony gasped comically. "I do not suck!"

"May I remind you of the infamous pie incident?"

He immediately flushed right up to his ears, making her giggle.

"Morgan, did Daddy tell you about the time he decided to make a blueberry pie for me..."

"Now, now, hold on!" Tony exclaimed. "Just because a man makes a mistake, a chemical mistake-"

"You are a scientific genius, you of all people, should be good at measurements and proportions! Adding two bottles of booze to a blueberry filling, will turn a pie into a dessert alcohol!"

"Hey, just because I made a mistake once... that does not mean I am a bad cook!"

"There was also the omelette incident... you took four hours to make me a charred omelette with burnt spinach and soggy tomatoes..."

Tony slowly smiled at her, his signature boyish smile that made his beautiful brown eyes sparkle. It was a smile that always got to her, a smile that made her heart clench with emotion and today was no exception.

He gently cupped her cheek.

"If I remember it correctly, even though the omelette was horrible, you ate every last bite..."

She leaned into his caress, nuzzling his hand.

"Because it was your first time cooking something other than microwave pizza, so I wanted to be supportive."

"And...." he said teasingly, his thumb caressing her cheek.

"And because I was madly in love with you, you idiot..." she kissed his wrist, basking in his clear adoration.

Tony moved closer to her and whispered, "See, my cooking made an impact..."

"Oh yes, Mr. Stark..." she whispered back, "Your horrible omelette made me realize that I loved you, so much so that I was willing to risk food poisoning, just to avoid hurting your ego..."

Tony pressed his lips lightly against hers, murmuring, "I love you, Pepper..."

"I love you too, Tony."

Then she felt her daughter's soft hand on her face.

"Daddy, Mommy! I love you too but but we have to do something, remember?" Morgan's grumble made them both laugh.

"Oh right, right, back to the matter at hand! Potts, look, we need to establish once and for all, who is the better cook, you or me? And there's no time like the present!"

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"Just what are you proposing, Mr. Stark?"

"I propose..." he tapped his chest, "Me..." he tapped her nose playfully, "you, go mano a mano in an impromptu cooking competition!"

"A what competition?!"

"You cook, I cook, young Morgoona here, will judge who cooked it best!"

Pepper had mentally prepared herself for a lot of outrageous ideas but this one caught her completely off-guard. Speechless, she looked between father and daughter, who were smiling at her broadly.

"A competition... a cooking competition... today... now? Guys, I'm... I don't know... I have a lot of work to do, I have three more meetings and I got disconnected from my call! I came here looking for Morgan but I have to rejoin the meeting at some point! They must be wondering where I am..."

She trailed off as Morgan cupped her cheek with her soft pudgy hand. 

"Please, mommy... please..."

Her daughter's melting brown eyes appealed to her wordlessly, making something inside her tighten almost painfully.

She looked at Tony for help but he was looking at her pleadingly. 

"Honey, Tony... I really... cannot..."

Morgan's lip quivered and she nodded sadly.

"Come on, Pep, just for an hour, we need to have lunch anyways!" Tony said softly. "And besides, you haven't spent any time outside the office in the last four days! You have been working the whole time, surely you can take a break today? Please, Pepper, please..."

The painful tightness increased as their identical shimmering pools of chocolate brown eyes, gazed straight at her. She took a deep breath.

_Tony has a point, I haven't spent any time with them... and truth be told... we have been eating microwave pizza and hamburgers_ _for the last four days... because I was too busy working to cook... which isn't good for them... oh god, am I seriously considering this?! I have so much work to do! And the meetings! But then again... I did get disconnected... the VPN is slow... I can postpone my meeting and make it happen after lunch... or later in the evening, when Morgan is asleep..._

She smiled and ruffled Morgan's thick hair. 

"Alright you two, I give in... let's have this competition and hopefully if Tony burns down the kitchen, the Fire Brigade will show up and save us all."

Morgan and Tony started to 'whoop' loudly, twirling together, so she quickly held up her hands.

"But first! I would like a nice hot cup of tea. And since Morgan's lunch will be delayed, let's have some fruit, okay?"

"Yes, mommy! I'll make the tea for you!"

Quick as a flash, Morgan wriggled out of Tony's arms and dashed into the kitchen.

"I'll help!" Tony ran after her.

Pepper began to climb up the stairs.

"And I guess I'll go back upstairs and change into something more suited for cooking..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooo a competition!


	3. Chapter 3

Fifteen minutes later, they were in the kitchen. Morgan sat on a stool by the circular dining counter, happily munching on apple slices as she scribbled the rules of the competition in her notebook.

Tony watched her absently. His mind was busy rifling through all the food items he had ever eaten.

_Hmmmm... what should I make... what... should... I make... I can't make another omelette... or can I.... nah! Omelettes are boring! Besides, this is a competition! And I am competing against Pepper Potts!_

He glanced sideways at Pepper, who was quietly sipping her cup of tea.

_Pepper is a damn good cook... I mean, yes, she's a little too fond of healthy food and she acts like butter is poison but... but she's knows what she's doing! She knows how to cook! To beat her, I need to commit, I need to cook something really tasty but keeping my limited cooking skills in mind... I need to make something simple... that I won't mess up..._

His mind drifted as he idly admired Pepper's outfit: white denim cutoffs and an off-shoulder striped full-sleeves top. Her hair was neatly tied up in a high ponytail, which left her slender neck and gleaming svelte shoulders enticingly bare.

_Look at all that smooth porcelain skin... peppered all over with little freckles... but the freckles seem a bit light... wait, I know why! She's spending too much time indoors! Potts! She never knows how to relax... guess it is up to me to make her! One of these days, I'll.... that's it! One of these days, I'm going to disconnect the internet, thus locking her out of her office network! She'll have to take a day off! And then I'll persuade her to spend the afternoon by the pool! Oh yes... and she can wear one of her tiny bikinis... and sunbathe... all her glorious soft satiny smooth curves bare to the sunlight... and I'll be on hand to rub lotion into all that smooth soft skin... ohhh yesss..._

His daydreaming was interrupted by something cold and soft being pushed into his hand. He looked down with a start and realized it was a bowl of orange slices.

Pepper stood right by him, a smile playing around her lips. She leaned forward, gently pressing herself against him. 

"Stop drooling over me, Mr. Stark and have some orange instead."

He opened his mouth to deny it but then changed his mind. 

"Can you blame me, Potts? Shorts in the kitchen!! It's.... it's..."

Before he could react, she moved away.

Looking over her shoulder, Pepper murmured throatily, "Distracting? That's precisely why I'm wearing them, Mr. Stark..." 

His gasp of outrage turned into a whine, when she gave him a slow teasing wink, that made his crotch throb. She turned towards Morgan. 

"Honey, did you finish your apple? Here, have some orange as well."

"Hold on, mommy! Imma nearly... done!"

"Honey..." Tony said, "You don't need to write down all the rules. You can just tell us."

"No Daddy, please, please! I'm nearly finished!" His daughter pouted.

"Let her complete her rules, Tony. It's good writing practice." Pepper said, pushing his hair back from his brow.

"So the poor kid is indirectly doing homework, even during her break." He chuckled. "You are such a taskmaster, Potts..."

She patted his hair down gently and then ran her fingers through it.

"Tony, you seriously need to cut your hair..."

"Cut my hair! But then! All my grey hair will show! And I have more salt than pepper!"

"You'd look great with more grey hair..." Her fingers massaged his scalp soothingly. "Like a classy silver fox.... like George Clooney..."

"Georgie has nothing on me..." he said smugly. Pepper giggled and then gestured meaningfully at Morgan with her head.

"Someone else also needs a haircut..."

He winced. Morgan loved her hair and always threw a massive tantrum whenever it had to be cut.

As expected, his daughter immediately sat up, the most murderous scowl on her angelic face.

"I do not! I want my hair to be as long as the Princess in the ice movie! I don't wanna cut my hair! Daddy said I didn't have to!"

"Now, now, young lady..." he tapped her nose lightly. "A little trim won't hurt your princess aspirations."

"Daddy's right, sweetheart." Pepper said, pushing Morgan's thick brown hair back from her brow. "We just need to trim your hair from the front, it's falling in your eyes."

"Yeah, soon you'll look like those fat hairy ponies in the park! What are they called? Sheepland? Scotland?"

"Shetland ponies, Tony."

Morgan's bottom lip trembled. "I wish we could go see the ponies... I wish we could go to the park... run on the grass and... and play on the swings..."

Tony was at a loss for words but luckily Pepper was right there.

"Morgan, the minute it is safe to go out, we'll go to the park, alright?"

"Even if you have office, Mommy?" Morgan said, her brown eyes filled with hope.

"If I have office, I will take the day off and we will go to the park. And till then, we are so lucky to have a beautiful yard outside! Let's play in the yard tomorrow! What do you say?"

"Yes!" Morgan thumped the counter excitedly. "Garden! Tomorrow! And a picnic!"

"And we can play in the pool..."

"The pool! Yes, mommy, yes! Let's go play right now!"

Pepper cupped her chubby cheeks.

"Sweetheart, one day at a time, okay? Today we have the cook-off, we can play in the pool some other day. Now, are you done with your rules?"

Morgan triumphantly waved her notebook.

"YES! I'll read them! Are you ready?"

Tony caught Pepper's hand.

"We are ready, oh great judge."

"Kay, the first rule is... you need to cook things I like!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Things you like... like what? Cheeseburgers?"

Morgan slowly lowered the book, seemingly deep in thought.

"I love cheeseburgers..."

She looked so adorable, that they both started giggling but immediately stopped when Morgan continued excitedly, "But for the competition, I wanna a surprise!"

"So we have to cook something that we think you'd like. Alright, sounds good, what's next?"

Morgan looked at her notebook.

"It can't be anything healthy..."

This rule was so hilarious, Tony immediately burst into laughter. Pepper sighed, pinching her nostrils.

"No healthy food!" Morgan shook her head mutinously from side to side. "It has to taste good!"

"But sweetheart..." Pepper murmured, "Healthy snacks do taste good! Remember when I made cocoa popcorn? Or sweet potato curly fries? You even liked my eggplant and cauliflower meatballs!"

The last one made him air gag, making Morgan giggle and Pepper glare at him.

"Tony!"

"I'm sorry, cauliflower... and eggplant! In a meatball! Yuck!"

"It is a healthy low-calorie vegan alternative to fatty pork meatballs!"

"The name is MEAT Ball! No mention of vegetables! I'm glad I wasn't around for that snack!"

He grimaced, sending Morgan into peals of girlish laughter.

"You keep that up, mister and next time, I'll be sure to sneak some cauliflower into your chicken alfredo!"

He dropped his jaw in horror.

"Don't you dare, Potts!"

Pepper smirked. "That's what you'll get if you keep insulting my cooking."

"I like your healthy snacks, mommy but for this competition, you can't use," Morgan made air quotes with her fingers, "'alternative' ingredients."

Tony covered his mouth to stop his snickering, whereas Pepper folded her arms across her chest. 

"Okay, who taught you how to use air quotes?"

Morgan caught his eye and then immediately assumed her signature pose of innocence: head tilted slightly, soft smile, wide eyes.

Pepper murmured, "Never mind, I'm pretty sure I know who it was and we..." she gave him a look that made his hair stand on end, "will discuss it later."

"Pep, don't try to change the subject. As per Madame Secretary's rules.... you cannot use stuff like oat flour, almond flour, basically any type of flour other than regular flour..."

"Yes! Yes!" Morgan chimed in excitedly. "And you can't use the funny grassy sugar!"

They both looked at her. 

"Grassy... sugar?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah! It looks like sugar, it's very sweet but there's a icky grassy taste in your mouth after you eat it!"

Morgan made a disgusted face.

"I think you are referring to Stevia..." Pepper said thoughtfully. 

"Oh yeah! None of that! It tastes horrible!"

He made a face just like Morgan's. 

"Yes!!" Morgan clapped her hands excitedly. "And you can't use any curly veggies either! You have to use pasta!"

Pepper bit her lip but her eyes were twinkling with laughter. 

"Curly veggies..." Tony murmured. "Translation, Spock?"

"She means spiralized zucchini and butternut squash. Which I use as pasta replacements from time to time."

"Wow, she's really taken note of all your tricks, Potts." 

"I feel as if I'm being read the riot act by the tiniest cutest food cop! But alright..." she nodded, smiling. "This is your competition and I shall respect your rules, little miss Stark."

Morgan leaned forward and hugged Pepper tightly. 

"Thank you, Mommy!" 

Pepper kissed her with a loud smack.

"Are those all the rules?"

"No, no, last one! You gotta make two things, a dessert and a slavary item!"

"A what item?" 

"A slavary one! One we can eat for lunch!" 

"Do you mean savory?" Tony asked gently.

"Erm... yeah, I think, Daddy! Something not dessert!"

"So we heard all the rules.... shall we begin?"

"Yes! Yes! Start cooking please!"

"Just a minute!" Tony said. "For all our labor, what shall be our reward?"

Morgan scrunched up her nose and then slid off the stool.

"I be back!"

She scampered out of the kitchen. Tony felt a nudge in his side and looked inquiringly at Pepper.

"So, Mr. Stark..." she quirked her eyebrows mischievously.

"Yes, Mrs. Potts?"

"What are you planning to make?"

"Oh I'm certainly not telling you, Potts!"

She frowned. "Why ever not? We should discuss what we are making, so we do not make the same thing. And besides, I would like to be prepared..."

"Prepared? For what?"

Pepper smiled broadly. "Tony, I know your cooking, I would just like to be mentally and physically prepared."

"Oh really..." He growled, inching closer to her.

"Oh yes, Mr. Stark..." she moved even closer, her lips nearly touching his.

Tony leaned sideways to check if Morgan was coming back. Then he clasped Pepper by the arms and gently backed her up against the kitchen wall.

Raising his arms to box her in from all sides, he then leaned forward, pressing himself against her lightly.

"Mr. Stark, are you trying to intimidate me with your big strong super-hero body?" Pepper cooed, batting her lashes sexily.

A heady rush of arousal surged through him.

"Oh sweetheart, this isn't intimidation..." he lightly stroked her hair with one hand. "This is me just being my normal friendly self...."

Pepper sighed, her body softening against him deliciously. He nuzzled her face with his own and then kissed her ear gently. She looped one hand around his neck.

"Morgan... Morgan could be back any second..." she murmured softly, her hand winding in his hair as she pulled him closer to her.

"I'll be quick then."

He nipped the soft tender column of her slender throat with the very edge of his teeth. She gasped loudly.

"I think between the two of us... we should decide the terms of victory for this competition."

"Terms of victory..." Pepper murmured. "I thought Morgan was going to provide the prize."

"She has a prize in mind but..." he gently bit her collarbone, feeling her tremble against him. 

"But seeing as how... you and I... are very competitive adults and we are both used to winning... I thought we could have a friendly... adult wager for this competition..."

"Adult wager?" He felt Pepper's lips curve against his skin. "Tony, are you serious?"

"Oh yes, Potts... so... lay it on me. If you win... what do you want?"

She blinked and then slowly smiled.

"If I win... then you have to persuade Morgan to cut her hair."

Tony made a face. Pepper giggled.

"A tough task, isn't it? But I know your winning charm will work on your daughter!"

"Hmmmm... alright... is that all you want?"

She nodded, her eyes sparkling with merriment.

"Now when I win-"

Pepper snorted derisively. He cupped her cheeks in his hands and looked deep into her twinkling beautiful eyes.

"When I win, Potts, you know what I want?"

"What do you want, Mr. Stark?"

"I want you. Alone. Just me and you. For the entire day. No interruptions, no office work, no voice calls, nothing... I want you all to myself..."

"Interesting..." she murmured, her eyes darkening. "May I ask what you intend for us to do... together and alone all day?"

Tony lowered his gaze to her lush pink lips. With his thumb, he rubbed her bottom lip slowly, massaging her moist tender flesh.

She took a deep breath, her eyes never leaving his.

"Oh, don't worry Potts... I have some interesting grown-up playdate ideas in mind..."

"Playdate, huh..."

"Yup. It's not fair that your office gets to take up so much of your time... you haven't even come to supervise me in my basement..." 

Pepper smiled shyly at him.

"I thought you were busy with your multiple projects in the basement... and that you wanted some peace and quiet after your COVID mission last week... so I... I didn't want to disturb you, Tony."

"Honey, I am never ever busy for you, my favorite CEO, you know how much I enjoy working for you... and especially under you... the view from the bottom, is fantastic..."

To his delight, she blushed prettily. 

"You have such a wicked mouth, Tony!"

"And tongue... the things I'm going to do to you on our playdate..." 

She blushed even more, crimson color flooding her neck and cheeks.

"You seem mighty confident of yourself, Mr. Stark..."

"Yes... and to the victor... go the spoils..." 

He brushed his lips teasingly against hers. She sighed breathlessly, pressing close to him but he lifted his head.

"So do we have an accord, Potts?"

"Yes, Mr. Stark..." 

"Good." He gently kissed her forehead and stepped back. 

The look of disappointment on her face, made him grin broadly. 

"No more distractions, Potts! I can't lose focus, I need to concentrate on the competition!"

She blew him a raspberry, making him laugh. 

Just then, there was the loud pitter-patter of running feet and Morgan appeared before them, triumphantly holding up a shiny gold medal on a red ribbon.

"Found it! Here's the prize!"

Tony reached for the medal to take a closer look. Pepper immediately, said "Morgan, you don't have to give us that!"

"But I want to, Mommy! And you need a prize!"

He read the inscription on the medal.

"First Place winner of the Sack Race. Morgan Maria Stark... hey, hey, now we can't accept this!"

Before he could help her, Morgan clambered onto the stool. 

"This is my medal and it's perfect for the prize!"

She defiantly crossed her arms across her chest, her cheeks puffed out with righteous indignation. 

"But honey... we don't need a prize! We'd rather have... kisses instead!"

"Kisses!" Morgan cutely shook her head. "That ain't a prize! I give those for free!"

He coughed to hide his laughter. Pepper nudged him gently. 

"Tony, let it be, she seems very serious, we can sneak the medal back into her room later..." She murmured out of the corner of her mouth.

"We have a prize! Let's go, start cooking!" Morgan exclaimed.

"Hey uno momento! While we slave over a hot stove for your judgement, what will you be doing, Judge Judy?"

Morgan flashed him a toothy grin and picked up a book from the table. 

"Daddy, I'll be sittin here, reading my book! I wanna finish it!"

"Morgan is reading The BFG by Roald Dahl." Pepper said softly. 

"It's a wunnerful book about a Giant, Daddy and this little boy! But Daddy, imma tell you later, now you should start! Cooking!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week, the exciting conclusion! Will Tony burn down the house with his cooking? Will Pepper cook something delicious but not healthy? Who will win Supreme Commander Morgan's medal!
> 
> P.S. If you liked this one-shot so far and would like to read more fluffy Pepperony-in-Lockdown stories, comment below and I'll write some more! Additionally, you could provide your ideas!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that a lot of sentences are in italics and I apologize but I needed some way to represent the characters inner monologues.

The minute Morgan opened her book, the competitors sprung into action. The kitchen was big enough for them to work in two equally spaced areas, without running into each other. 

In her corner, Pepper walked over to the square wooden cabinet to the left of the sink.

_I think I know just what to make... but I need to check if I have all the necessary ingredients._

She opened the doors of the cabinet and calmly perused the neatly arranged food items.

_Whole wheat penne, can of tomatoes... pickle relish... a new bottle of mustard... all here... oh! What about spices?_

Leaning sideways, she opened one of the kitchen shelves mounted on the wall.

_Garlic powder, cumin, onion powder, smoked paprika! Oh and some dried rosemary! Perfect!_

Tapping her chin, deep in the thought, she turned towards the fridge.

_What's left? Well, cheese of course and I know we have that... but what about the main ingredient..._

The fridge was open, Tony was standing right in front of it, scratching his head.

"A moment please. I just need to get something."

"Erm, yeah... sure..."

He gave way and she opened the freezer section.

_Yes! That's all I need!_

She triumphantly pulled out a packet of lean ground beef.

Pepper shut the freezer door and moved away from the fridge.

Placing the packet of beef on her side of the counter, she turned, only to see Tony still standing in front of the open fridge door.

The bemused expression on his face, made her ask softly, "May I help you?"

"Potts, this is a competition!"

"I know but you seem a bit... lost."

Tony winced. "Well, okay, since you asked.... where's the Parmesan cheese can?"

She walked back over to the fridge. Bending at the waist, she lifted the container of Parmesan Reggiano from the side shelf and handed it to him.

"Erm..." he shook his head. "No, this ain't it! It's a green can or maybe bottle, with Parmesan-"

Now Pepper was something of a clean cooking fanatic. So when it came to her cooking ingredients, she believed in using whole foods and avoiding processed foods as much as possible. Especially when it came to cheese.

"You mean Kraft grated Parmesan powder. I'm afraid we do not keep such items, Mr. Stark. I only buy fresh cheese that does not contain fillers and preservatives. I do not believe that powdered cheese is real cheese."

"Oooooo Mr. Stark and all..." he teased. Her cheeks reddened at the amused glint in his eyes.

"But Potts, it is cheese! It says so on the cover! 100% Parmesan cheese!"

"Humph! Of course the product would say that! Real cheese does not need to state that it is real!"

Tony did not seem to be paying attention. He was still staring at the fridge, scratching his beard and muttering to himself.

"I think... there may be a bottle in my lab... yes..."

She sniffed loudly. "If that is all, Mr. Stark, I shall resume my cooking!"

She turned on her heel, only for him to catch her arm.

"Hey, hey, Master Kitchen Commander, hold on! Help me out with some other stuff! Where do you keep your fancy biscuits?"

"That shelf there. Top corner." She pointed at the rack of shelves.

"Good! And where... hmmm... chicken! Where is the chicken kept?"

"Why in the fridge, of course! Here!"

She opened the fridge and opened the small door of the freezer section.

"Oh crap on a cracker... it was in the freezer..."

"Eh yes, Tony, I'm afraid it is necessary to keep chicken at a sub-zero temperature in order to prevent spoilage."

"K, k... let me just grab this.." Tony lifted the packet of chicken out of the fridge. "Final question. Do we have any chocolate?"

She placed her hand on her hip. 

"If you are referring to your preferred chocolate brands, I do not know. I only buy Lindt or Godiva chocolate."

"The good stuff! Exactly! Where is it, Potts!"

"There should be two new packets in the shelf over there."

"Great. And the actual final question! Do we have marshmallows?" His face fell. "Wait, that's not a healthy food, it wouldn't be on your shopping list, it would be on mine... and I don't think I bought any..."

She sighed.

"You are right that I wouldn't buy marshmallows since it is not my idea of a 'snack'... but I know that you and Morgan are very fond of marshmallows, too fond for your own good, so I stocked up on marshmallows during my last visit to the grocery store. You should find 6 packets in the same shelf as the chocolate."

Tony smiled broadly, rubbing his hands together.

"Mu ha, ha! My nefarious plan shall succeed!"

Catching her off-guard, he caught her by the waist and kissed her.

"Thank you, Potts! Gotta go check my lab for the remaining stuff!"

She watched him rush out of the kitchen. Morgan looked up from her book, smiling widely.

"Daddy has a lot of snacks in his basement!"

"I know... and I hope they haven't passed their expiry date... your father has a habit of eat first and check expiry later..."

Turning back to the kitchen, she quickly got to work. First, she began to set some water to boil for the pasta. Then to defrost the ground beef, she placed it in the microwave and set the 'Defrost' setting for five minutes. While waiting, she chopped two onions. When the meat was done, she heated up some oil in a large skillet and added the meat and onions to it.

* * *

Tony walked back into the kitchen, holding the stuff he had found in the basement. He placed his items on the counter, watching Pepper bustle about on her side of the kitchen.

As he observed her, a smile slowly grew on his face. 

_Typical contrary Pepper! Some time ago, she was so reluctant to leave her office work and now look at her! She's so engrossed in her cooking!_

"Daddyyy!"

Morgan's urgent whisper made him turn his head towards her. Her little face was furrowed with worry.

"What's the matter, pumpkin?"

"You haven't started cooking! I'm worried!"

  
Touched by her concern, he walked towards her. 

"Now now Morgoona, I am just gathering up supplies! There's nothing to worry about."

Saying so, he tapped her little nose. She nodded, smiling up at him. 

"Okay, I'll better start!"

  
He quickly stepped back to the counter and critically examined his ingredients. 

_So what do we have here... graham crackers, chicken breasts, Parmesan powder... Lindt milk and dark chocolate bars... marshmallows... mozzarella.... and..._

He looked sideways at the blowtorch perched by the fridge. _And my handy torch! Perfect!_

From the time they spent together, Tony had noticed that his daughter had inherited his sweet tooth. But unlike Pepper, who had a more sophisticated palate and preferred elaborate or formal desserts, he and Morgan loved snacking on classic instant sugary treats like Twinkies, cookies, jelly beans and so on. They also shared a fondness for melted marshmallows and biscuits.

  
_Which is why I know without a doubt that she will love Teddy's Brulee! That dessert has the perfect trifecta of gooey marshmallow goodness, melted sweet chocolate and graham crackers for the crunch! And I can put it together in 10 mins, since I have all the ingredients and my blowtorch! Just like how Teddy does! But the main course..._

He scratched his chin. 

_To be honest, it is the only thing I know how to make... of sorts... coz I've watched my mother make it and I know how it tastes and..._

He looked over his shoulder at Pepper who was busy at the stove.

_And I cannot make hamburgers which is the only other food I know how to cook... I think Morgan will like it... so... Chicken Parmesan it is!_

He arranged his ingredients, keeping the dessert items aside.

_So what do I know... I know I have to fry the chicken... wait... it isn't fried chicken... think, Tony, think... it is a breaded chicken cutlet! Yeah! So I need something... something like flour or bread! To dip it in!_

He looked around the kitchen wildly.

  
_Flour, flour, flour... aha! I remember!_

Tony quickly walked over to the wooden cabinet by Pepper's side of the kitchen.

  
_Hmmmm... there's all purpose flour... but I am making chicken parm, so that won't do... I need... breading.... something like bread..._

  
Then he spied a packet of Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour.

_Yes! This is a healthy ingredient but! I've had chicken cutlets fried with almond flour and they have a nice crunch to them!_

He scanned the neatly arranged rows of food items. 

_Baking powder, yes! Makes stuff cook faster! And what do we have here... Panko breadcrumbs! Good!_

He picked up the bag of breadcrumbs and thought for a moment. 

_Breadcrumbs... and almond flour... do I need both or will one do... and if so, which one... hmmmmmm..._

Then he shrugged. 

_Okay, I do not know the difference, so what the heck! Let's use both!_

He walked back to his side of the kitchen and after placing the breading items on the counter, he opened the fridge. 

_One thing I know for sure is that I need an egg! So that the breading sticks to the chicken._

He opened the egg carton and took out one egg. Then something in the fridge caught his eye. 

_Tomato ketchup... oh yes! Shit, now I remember! Mom used to make a thick tomato sauce... like a marinara sauce! And cover the cutlets with it and then garnish with the mozzarella! Of course, how could I forget!_

He shoved the egg into his pocket and then picked up the huge bottle of ketchup. 

_So I got ketchup... but is ketchup tomato sauce... huh... I never really thought of that... is there a difference? I mean... one is pureed tomatoes... and the other is... pureed tomatoes cooked? But then by that definition... if I cook the ketchup... with some herbs and garlic... would that make it tomato sauce?_

He opened the vegetable tray and stared at the rosy plump tomatoes stored in the tray. 

_How does one make tomato sauce exactly... with tomatoes yes but what do you do with them? Boil them? Mash them? Steam them? Blend them... blending sounds accurate... but.._

"Tony, honey."

  
He heard Pepper calling him and turned. 

"Please close the fridge. The alarm has been chiming for the past minute." 

  
"Oh yeah sure!"

Shutting the fridge, he moved towards the counter. 

_Time to get tough! I am not exactly sure how to make tomato sauce... but I have ketchup! And I feel fairly confident that I can cook it and make a sauce with it... and using ketchup would cut down on cooking time... so yeah! But first I need set up my breading stations!_

From the dish rack, he picked up two bowls. In one, he cracked open the egg, in the other, he poured out a good amount of almond flour. 

_And one more for the Panko..._

  
He took another bowl and filled it with the Panko breadcrumbs.

_Done! Now for the chicken._

Using the scissors, Tony cut open the packet of chicken breasts. He lifted out each breast, and placed them on a plate.

_What the hell? Why are they so cold! And so damn hard! Wait a minute, Pepper gave me these from the deep freezer! They need to be defrosted!_

He clasped his hands to his face in horror.

_Fuck a Duck! I don't have the time to wait for them to defrost! I need to cook!_

  
Then he remembered the microwave. He picked up the plate and rushed to the microwave.

_Just heat for a minute! That should be enough to thaw them out..._

  
After keeping the chicken to heat, he went back to the fridge.

_Let me think about my sauce... I need garlic.. I need some... parsley... here! And..._

His eyes fell on a large red jar in the corner of the fridge.

_Gochujang... hmmmmm.... has Morgan tried Gochujang... I can't really remember... but... I mean, I love it! And I know she likes a bit of spice in her food... she always wants hot sauce with her fries! And using Gochujang would give my sauce an exotic hot and sweet taste... better than just plain old ketchup... so... let's use it! What's the harm!_

Balancing the vegetables in one hand, he picked up the jar of Gochujang. And saw the transparent packet of Gochugaru chilli flakes. 

_Oh, I've got to use these! These will really spice things up!_

His hands full, he backed away from the fridge and turned, shutting the fridge door with his foot. 

_So what do I do first, do I make the sauce first... do I fry the chicken first... if I make the sauce... then the chicken... will take more time? Can I do both at the same time..._

He snuck a glance backwards at Pepper. 

_I do not want my food to be the last thing on the table! No way, hose! So Imma do both at the same time! First, breading chicken! Wait, where's the chicken!_

He scanned the counter top but there was no chicken to be found. So he opened the fridge and stuck his head in.

_Don't tell me I put it back in here... no, it isn't here!_

Tony straightened, feeling a cold shiver rush down his spine.

_Did I... throw it by mistake? The trash!_

He rushed to the trash bin, only to see the empty packet lying at the top. He ran his fingers through his hair, his eyes roving over the kitchen counter.

_Crap on a cracker! Where did I leave the chicken? Think Tony, think! Now is not the time to go senile! Did you take it down with you to the lab?_

"Pssssst! Daddy!"

"Not now, honey. Daddy's lost his chicken!"

"You haven't lost it, Daddy! It is in the microwave! Don't you remember?" 

He smacked his forehead. "Of course! I wanted it to defrost!" 

Blowing Morgan an air kiss, he rushed to the microwave and opened it. There was the plate of chicken breasts. 

"Oh thank god! My precious avian boobies! You are all here!"

He touched the plate and then immediately pulled his hand back in pain.

"Fuc-" He bit his lip to stop himself from swearing. "Fudgesicles! That's hot! Gloves, I need gloves!"

There was a large oven mitt hanging right by the microwave. Using that he lifted the plate out of the microwave and put it on the counter. 

_So I have my breading stations and my egg... I need to dip the breasts in the egg and then the flour and then the breadcrumbs... yes._

He took the glove off and then carefully poked one chicken breast with his finger. 

_Not hot, not hot at all! In fact..._

He lifted the chicken breast in his hand. _Huh... you feel... a little bit cold... and hard... I thought defrosting would make the chicken softer..._

He squeezed the chicken breast once more and then picked up another one. 

_More or less the same... soft in some spots... really hard in some... but then... what do I know, maybe this is the way chicken really feels... is it?_

He heard a muffled giggle behind him and turned quickly just to catch Pepper turning away. 

"What's so funny, Potts?"

At first, she simply shrugged, her face an impassive mask. He waited and then sure enough, her lips curved ever so slightly. 

"Just watching you... feeling up your chicken like that..."

"If you must know, I was merely checking its softness! And massaging it to bring out its flavor!"

She bit her lip, her eyes twinkling. "Tenderizing the meat is usually done with a meat hammer." 

"I beg your pardon!"

"You smash the meat using a small mallet. We have one in the cupboard." 

"Right..." he lowered the chicken to the plate. "Right, I was just going to ask where the hammer was! Thank you, Potts!"

He turned back to the counter, staring at the chicken. Then he stabbed one with his finger. 

_This feels... soft and slimy but oh... it's hard in here! And there's a bit of ice still left in this one... hmmmmm... but surely when I cook the chicken, it will turn soft..._

Then the bright red tin of baking powder caught his eye. 

_If I use this, surely it will encourage the chicken to cook faster!_

Opening the tin, he sprinkled some of the powder onto the plate and then rubbed the powder thoroughly into each piece of chicken. 

Then he lifted a piece.

_So... what comes first? Egg? Almond flour? Or Panko? Hmmmmmmmm..._

Then he shrugged and dipped the chicken into the flour, then the egg and then the Panko.

_Oh crap, now I have breading all over my fingers! Should I have used a fork? Too late for that now!_

Doing his best to bread each piece of chicken, he repeated the dipping, in no particular order. When each chicken breast was breaded, he spread them out on a plate and then washed his hands. 

_While I'll leave them alone for a bit to harden, I'll work on the sauce._


	5. Chapter 5

Pepper stirred the beef mixture, waiting for it to brown, all the while, thinking.

_This is the savory meal but what about dessert... what does Morgan like to eat for dessert..._

The water was boiling, so she added the pasta to it and stirred the meat some more.

_Pancakes? No, that's too simple... cake? Chocolate cake... but I do not have that much time... to mix things all together and... wait a minute!_

"Judge Morgan..." she turned towards her daughter with a smile. "May I use coconut as an ingredient?"

"Coconut!" Tony said from behind her. "Sounds healthy."

"It is a healthy ingredient, Mr. Stark but I am asking Morgan, so you stick to your recipe!"

She could hear Tony snickering as she looked appealingly at Morgan.

"Hmmmm...." her daughter scrunched her nose up. "Coconut... I like coconut... I'll allow it!"

Pepper triumphantly punched the air.

"Yes! I'm going to whip up a dessert that will have you eating your fingers!"

"And if Mommy's dessert is too healthy, don't worry your Honor, you can still have my fabulous dessert!" Tony said snarkily. 

Pepper looked over her shoulder to glare at him but he just stuck his tongue out at her. So she turned back to her cooking.

_Pasta's done, time to drain it!_

After she had done that, she added it to the beef and gave the mix a good stir.

_Now for the tomatoes and to gather my other ingredients... oh, I must remember to pre-heat the oven!_

She opened the can of tomatoes and laid the other ingredients on the counter top.

Then to the skillet, one by one, she stirred in the tomatoes, relish, mustard and ketchup. In a bowl, she mixed together the required spices along with some seasoned salt and pepper. Then she added the bowl's contents to the skillet as well. Stirring it all together, she waited for the mixture to come to a boil.

_Now to reduce the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes! I'll grate the cheese when I've put the dessert to bake!_

Briskly walking over to Tony's side, where the oven was, she set the oven's temperature to 350ºF and turned it on.

_Now while that's heating, I need to prepare the baking tray... or do I prepare the baking mix first..._

She absently glanced sideways to see Tony enthusiastically tapping the ketchup bottle over a bowl. Alarm bells went off immediately in her head. 

_Ketchup... and Tony... with his plaid shirt... and his bowl right at the edge of the counter... that's a recipe for disaster!_

"Tony!" She said out loud. "Hold on! Stop what you are doing!"

He froze in his place, looking at her wide-eyed. "Yes, officer?"

"Put the bottle down. Slowly." 

Eyebrows raised, he did so. Pepper crooked her finger and he came over to her. 

She caught his left arm and immediately began to fold back the sleeve of the shirt, over his muscular forearm. 

"Sweetheart, you have to keep your sleeves out of the way! They might get caught in a shelf or fall into your cooking liquid!"

"Oohh! The lady chef in Ratatouille said the same!" He grinned boyishly. 

"The lady chef... in Ratatouille..." 

"Yes! The one in the fancy five-star restaurant, who at first, was so mean to Linguine! You!" He suddenly hissed, in a fake French accent. "You think cooking is a joke! Your sleeves look like you threw up on them! Keep your arms in and close to your body! Mark of a chef, clean sleeves, messy apron!"

She looked at him in bemusement, folding the right sleeve up as well. Muffled giggles came from behind them. 

"See, Morgan remembers!" 

Faint recollections of an animated movie set in France, which revolved around cooking, filled her mind. 

"Is this the movie which had the talking rat who cooked from a human's head?"

"Yes, yes! Ratatouille! Remy, a simple farm rat, who wants to be a good chef and meets Linguine, the illegitimate son of Gusteau, the famous chef!" 

"I liked Ratatouille!" Morgan chimed in. "Daddy, let's watch it tonight, please!"

"Morgan, tonight's a school night. Movie nights are only on Saturday." She said briskly. "There, Tony, your sleeves are done. Don't let them reopen. Next..."

"Don't you remember the sleeve part from Ratatouille?" 

"I don't think I enjoyed the movie with the same enthusiasm as you and Morgan. I found the whole concept of rats cooking..." she shuddered. "Quite disgusting!"

"Ah ah ah!" Tony twirled his mustache. "But you see, mon amie! Anyone can cook!"

"But not a rat... I am sorry, no matter how cute and cuddly Disney makes them, I just cannot accept a rat in a kitchen!"

"Humph! Elitist!" He looked at his arms. "Nice folding, Potts!"

"Alright Mr. Stark, your sleeves are done, now where have you left your apron?"

"I never put it on..."

She sighed. "You need an apron. Especially... since you are going to be mixing sauce and frying chicken." 

Tony gasped theatrically. "Do not cast your eyes upon my secret concoction!"

Pepper rolled her eyes and stepped towards the round dining counter.

"I had kept the spare apron here somewhere..."

"I think I have an apron by the barbeque grill outside..." Tony muttered. 

"If you used it outside, you shouldn't be using it in the kitchen." She replied, rifling through a drawer. "Aha! Found it!"

Pepper triumphantly held up the apron. "Okay Tony, come here please."

She giggled at the petulant way he stood, with his arms folded across his chest, eyeing the apron with horror. 

"No way I'm going to wear that!"

"Tony... time's a wasting..."

Grumbling under his breath, he came towards her and immediately folded his hands behind his hand.

Sputtering with laughter, Pepper said, "Why are you doing that, I'm not taking you prisoner!"

Placing her hands on his, she lowered his arms down to his side. Then she lifted the bib of the apron to his chest and adjusted its placement, such that it rested below his collarbone.

  
"Now hold still while I tie this."

She moved around him and picked up the strings of the apron. Tony immediately began to fidget as she tied a knot in the strings around his neck.

"Potts, I must object! Do I really need an apron?!"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because Mr. Stark, you are very messy when you work! If let be, you will drop anything and everything on your clothes! And tomato ketchup stains are hard to wash out!" 

She adjusted the knot of the bib under his collar, so that it wouldn't feel tight around his neck.

"But Potts!"

"But what, Mr. Stark?"

"This! This! This isn't really my look!"

Peppe rested her head on his shoulder, struggling not to laugh at his indignant expression. The apron was beige in color and liberally decorated with pink and blue flowers. 

"Is it the color, Mr. Stark?"

"Color?! It is the entire apron! I feel like a character from the Mr. Men and Little Miss cartoon!"

"Mr. Mustache, I presume..." she was overcome with giggles at her own joke.

Tony scowled darkly. "Must you make fun of me?"

"Daddy, daddy!" They both looked at Morgan. "You are wearing the apron I choose! Yaaahh!"

Pepper smiled. "That's right, Tony! Morgan personally selected this apron when we went shopping? Honey, doesn't Daddy look nice in this apron?"

Morgan bounced up and down in her seat, beaming with happiness. "Daddy, you look so koochie! The flowers suit you so much!"

Pepper murmured in Tony's ear. "If you really don't want to wear it, I can take it off but then someone's going to be disappointed..."

"This seems like a low blow, Potts, realllly low..." Tony murmured back. "Imma get you back for this!"

She came around to stand before him. "All's fair in love and war, Mr. Stark."

He narrowed his eyes. "And here I was going to go easy on you, Potts but this.. this truly is war..." 

"Bring it on, big boy..." 

She leaned against his firm chest and caught the apron's ties. Then she crossed them behind his back, tightened them and brought them to the front of the apron.

  
"This is way too confining!" Tony grumbled, his breath drifting over her hair. "I feel as if the apron is strangling me!"

"Mr. Stark, I fail to understand why you are being so fussy about this simple light apron, when you use a heavy duty apron in your workshop! A double-layer utility apron made of PVC with two-inch thick straps!" 

Tony opened his mouth and then shut it with a loud click. Smiling to herself, she began to knot the ties of the apron around his waist. 

"Well..." he said slowly, "that apron... is necessary... because I'm working with oil and grease... and it has pockets for all my tools!"

"But doesn't it get hot? Especially under the car!"

"It does... but the thing is I feel comfortable in that apron because I never wear anything underneath! Just my briefs or sometimes not even briefs..." 

"I suppose that would make a difference... but still, the apron itself is heavy. This apron is as light as a feather!"

Tony tilted his head to one side, studying her intently with his perceptive eyes. Then a bright gleam appeared in their deep chestnut brown depths. 

"How exactly do you know I have a machinist apron?" 

She bit her lip, lowering her gaze but his fingers curled around her chin, tilted her face up towards him.

"Pepper.... have you been secretly spying on me in the garage?"

"I wasn't spying! I just... once or twice or maybe thrice, I've been down to the basement and you... you were busy fixing something and you had the apron on!" 

"Interesting... so you've seen me in the apron..."

"Yes I have." She said coolly. The gleam darkened in his brown eyes. "Well... don't be shy, Potts... did you like what you saw?"

Immediately, she remembered the last time she had seen him in his utility apron, nearly two weeks ago.

_Hot humid garage, the thick smell of petrol and grease in the air, loud rock music blaring from the overhead speakers and in the midst of it all, Tony Stark, working on his sportscar... wearing nothing but that damn snug apron... sweat trickling down his bare broad back, the thick straps of the apron tied around his lean waist, his taut backside and thick legs gloriously displayed... but the best part is when he bends over the open hood of the car and those gorgeous taut curves of his infamous bubble butt pop..._

She swallowed, her stomach suddenly tightening with desire.

Unfortunately Tony had noticed. His mouth slowly curved into a slow sexy smile, the smile that just added to her arousal.

"Well, well, well, after all these years, Potts, you still check me out when I'm not looking..."

Her entire face was on fire with embarrassment but she replied calmly, "I really couldn't help myself, Mr. Stark, besides I know there were plenty of times when you were checking me out!"

  
Tony leaned close and whispered, "I'm not the only one with a delectable ass... especially in a suit..."

She lowered her head, too shy to let him see how happy his compliment made her.

"Flattery again, Mr. Stark?"

"It's the solemn truth, Miss Potts... one of the things I miss about working in Stark Industries is watching you strut around the office in your sexy suits..."

"Stop it, you!" She lightly swatted him and he caught her hand.

"Say that gives me an idea..."

He came even closer, whispering hotly in her ear, "For our adult playdate, why don't you and I play pretend? You be the sexy super-efficient CEO whose car broke down and I'll be the studly greasy smart-ass mechanic who has to fix said car.... whadya think?" 

Pepper couldn't help but smile. "And let me guess, Uptown Girl will be playing on the stereo as I enter your garage and find you in your apron and nothing else."

Tony chuckled deeply. "Ah Potts, you know me so well." 

"Yes I do, Mr. Stark.... and may I just say... don't be so confident of your victory... you haven't even prepared your food!"

His callused fingers gently cupped her chin. "When I play Potts, I play to win... and with a prize such as yourself for the taking... victory can only be mine!"

She rolled her eyes. "You are such a cocky ass sometimes, Tony..."

"But you love me all the same... don't you, Pepper..."

"That I do .... now hold still, let me just straighten out your apron... and you are all set!"

She was going to step back when Tony wrapped his arms around her waist. Gently pulling her against him, he touched his forehead to hers.

"Thank you for taking such good care of me, Pepper... like you always do..." 

Wanting his kiss desperately, she tilted her face upwards and pressed her lips to his. 

"Pepper, Pepper, Pepper..." he murmured throatily. "I thought we were agreed to keep things professional..."

"What's a friendly kiss between competitors..." she whispered back and wound her fingers in his hair, kissing him slowly and throughly.

"Mommy, what's that delicious smell?" Morgan said loudly, interrupting their cozy smooching.

Pepper suddenly remembered her cooking and stepped away from Tony.

"Oh dear, my skillet! I hope my-" She stopped herself just in time. "My savory entry didn't burn!"

She rushed to the stove and opened the lid. The aromatic scent of cooked beef and pasta filled the kitchen.

"Yummy!!" Morgan said excitedly. "It didn't burn!!" 

"No, it didn't, sweetheart! Great! I am nearly done with my savory entry!" 

She turned off the stove and covered the skillet. Looking over her shoulder, she said, "Tony, I am done with your apron, you can resume your cooking!"

He pouted. "So I was just a pleasant distraction to pass the time while your food cooked! I feel so used!"

"A very sexy distraction..." she murmured teasingly, reaching to cup his jean-clad backside. "That nearly made me lose my focus!"

He grinned broadly and swiveled on his feet. "If you need any more distracting, I shall be in my corner." 

Pepper lifted a baking tray from the shelf beneath the counter. 

_Now to prepare my dessert item!_

  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tony nervously studied the eight pieces of chicken lying in the skillet.

_Why aren't they frying? I can just see tiny little bubbles forming in the oil, shouldn't they be crackling or popping... or is that deep-frying? Okay, wait a minute, watched pots do not boil and the same applies for fried chicken! Leave them be and let's make the sauce!_

Then his eyes fell upon the bright green can of Parmesan on the counter.

_Oh FUCK! I forgot to use the Parmesan! Can I add some now?_

He picked up the can and read its labeling for any instructions.

_It doesn't say anything about when this cheese should be used... so..._ he shrugged _, let's just use some..._

Raising the can over the skillet, he flipped its lid open and began to sprinkle Parmesan on the chicken pieces. 

_Damn, these flakes are tiny! Are they even falling on the chicken? Doesn't seem to be! Maybe Pep was right, maybe real cheese would have been better... oh well, too late for that now... whoops! Dropped a little too much there! Oh well.. it seems to be frying..._

After he had liberally sprinkled Parmesan over each chicken piece, he added two tablespoons of Gochujang to the bowl of ketchup. He stirred it well and then tasted a little.

_Wow, that's sweet! Too sweet! Doesn't taste like sauce at all! I think the ketchup has too much sugar! Shit! Hold on, there's no need to panic, I have Gochugaru!_

He added some of the spice flakes to the mix and then added some more Gochujang. 

_Just to make sure it is really spicy... now for a little taste..._

He popped the spoon in his mouth and immediately his tongue was on fire. His eyes filled with water and he blinked to clear them.

_That's got a real kick! Wow!_

Swallowing hard to get rid of the burning sensation, he blindly looked at the counter for anything that would help. 

_Water! NO! Water makes it worse! Milk! Yes, milk! Where? Oh wait!_

There was a can of whipped cream in the corner of the counter. He quickly opened it and squirted the cream into his mouth. Immediately the numbing burning in his mouth decreased. He ate some more of the cream, making sure to swish it around his mouth entirely. 

_Okay! I can feel my tongue again! Wow, that was rough!_

Placing the can of cream back on the counter, he pensively studied his deadly ketchup mixture. 

_Alright, big mistake using Gochugaru! It is too spicy! It might kill Morgan! I can't use this sauce! So now what?!_

He sighed loudly and pushed his hands through his hair.

_Do I nix the sauce entirely? Just serve giant chicken nuggets? That's not a bad idea... but... but nuggets aren't a meal! Wait a minute! The chicken! Oh no!_

Picking up the spatula, he quickly turned over the pieces of chicken in the skillet. 

_Crap! Did I burn them? No, no, I don't think so... I mean... they are a little brown in some areas.... and that one's a little bit black... actually really black in that corner..._

He gingerly touched the edge of the spatula to the charred edge.

_Will that come off if I scrap it with a fork? It could... it should..._

Exhaling with relief, he turned around leaning against the counter. 

_Can't forget the chicken! Must not forget the chicken! Okay... so I was thinking about nuggets... slightly charred nuggets.. yessh.._

He glanced sideways at Morgan. His daughter held her book open in front of her, her brown eyes wide and focused, roving across the open page. Then licking her thumb, she slowly turned the page and her mouth formed a wide "O".

Tony smiled.

_She's such a sweet caring kid... and so adjusting... she won't say a thing about eating nuggets for lunch... in fact she loves junk food... so she'll really not mind..._

  
Then he looked at the other side of their kitchen. 

_Now her lovely mother is an entirely different story..._

Pepper was enthusiastically mixing something in a bowl. He watched as she added some eggs and then reached for the can of Dutch cocoa powder from the shelf. After adding some of the powder, she continued to stir the mix. 

_Yeah, she'd definitely object to having nuggets for lunch... buuuuuutt... what if I don't use the word nuggets... what if I call them something fancy... like croquettes.... yeaaaah and I could make a side salad... and put the croquettes on the salad... ohh something fancy... it could fool Potts..._

He idly noticed that her ponytail had come loose and fine tendrils of her reddish-gold mane floated delicately around her face. Pepper pushed them back absently, making him smile. 

_Nothing, absolutely nothing, must be allowed to come between Pepper and her target! And that includes work..._ he made a face. _Which is why I want to win so badly, I need to get her to take a break from work and that's the only way! I can't challenge her to a cooking competition everyday!_

His gaze lowered over Pepper's svelte waist and hips. 

_We could do so many things together! Go swimming by the pool, just the two of us... wait, that's not fair, Morgan loves the pool, okay, we'll have a little kiddie pool party and when Morgan's tuckered out and she takes a nap, then it's time for the adult party! Oh yes! Me and Pepper alone on the pool deck, Pepper lounging around in that gorgeous emerald green swimsuit of hers... or maybe the sapphire one... what does she call it.. mallut? Mallet? No! Maillot? I think so..._

Suddenly Pepper bent at the waist and opened the doors of the cupboard below the counter. She just stayed there, seemingly staring at the contents of the cupboard. Watching her curved taut backside thrust out like that, Tony felt a rush of arousal. 

_Fuck, why didn't I realize this earlier... Pepper is wearing my mortal weakness! Shorts! Tight skimpy cut-offs! Who wears shorts while cooking!_

Her butt gently swayed from one side to the other as she pulled out one dish and then put it back. 

_Oh my good god, what a view!_ He tugged at his collar, feeling very hot and bothered.

_Calm down, Tony Tiger, calm down! It is just Pep, in her shorts... her really short shorts... clinging so tightly to her... her really fetching ass.... riding up her satiny smooth thighs like that... the perfect curvature of her legs is... I mean, I've seen a lot of curves! Damped oscillation curves, phase response curves, Las Vegas showgirl curves but these curves! The uniform yet seductive way her thighs perfectly taper down to her smooth calves... which gently flare out because... because she has actual muscles in her calves! Who would have thought Yoga can give you calf muscles! Why she's got better calves than me! And the way they taper down to her slim ankles... and her delicate red-tipped feet... which look bewitching in strappy heels or roman sandals or even simple flip-flops! Oh wait... today, her toes aren't red..._

Pepper's delicate toes were adorably colored in neon pink and blue paint. They sparkled in the light of the kitchen

_Ten perfect little toes, in pink and blue... how cute... how sexy... I feel like popping each little toe in my mouth and-_

"Daddy! Daddyyyyy!"

  
Morgan's urgent whisper interrupted his ogling.

"What is it, honey?"

"I think your chicken's burny!" 

"What!"

He turned around and sure enough, faint smoke was gently drifting upwards from the skillet.

_Crap!_

Tony immediately switched off the fire and using the spatula, quickly flipped the chicken pieces onto a plate.

_Damage inspection._

Three of them looked fine a little dark around the edges. Two of them were very badly burnt. The remaining were black around the edges and brown in the center. He prodded one with his finger and immediately drew back in pain. 

_Fuck! That's hot! Why do I keep touching hot things without thinking! Goddammit!!_

"Tony? Is something the matter?"

He froze in place.

_Keep it cool, Stark, keep it very cool, don't let her see the chicken!_

He neatly turned to face Pepper, making sure to shield the chicken with his body.

"Oh, nothing, Potts! Nothing at all!"

Pepper raised an eyebrow inquiringly.

"Are you sure? You... used some..." she cleared her throat meaningfully. "Adult-only words." 

He clapped his hand over his mouth, looking at Morgan wide-eyed. 

_Oh shit, I swore in front of Morgan!_

"Mommy..." his darling daughter looked at her mother with big pleading eyes. "I know Daddy was naughty but please, please don't give Daddy a timeout, he needs to finish his cooking..."

Pepper sighed. "I agree, now is not the time for a timeout..." she looked at Tony, narrowing her eyes. "But I shall make sure Daddy gets his punishment later." 

He winced and quickly turned back to avoid her piercing gaze.

_Okay, okay, I gotta fix this dish somehow! Wait, wait, lets calm down... these are just charred... I can scrap off the black bits with a fork or a knife... and there's going to be sauce covering them, so they'll be fine... but these..._

He looked at the two burnt pieces and shook his head.

_These are lost causes. I can't serve burnt food to my kid and wife! So I gotta throw those... and then I got to make my hail mary sauce!_

Working quickly, he threw away the burnt pieces of chicken, lay the rest of the chicken on some tissue paper to soak up the oil and cleaned up the skillet. Then he opened the fridge.

_Oh Great Fridge, please have pity on me. I lack cooking skills but I so desire to win this competition, so that I can have a playdate with my lovely delectable wife... who come to think of it, is the reason for my burning my chicken because if she hadn't been wearing cutoffs, I wouldn't have been ogling her legs and... but I digress, I desperately need some ingredient... that will save my very spicy tomato sauce... please Almighty Fridge, if there was ever a time for you to speak and help me... now is that time!_

As if the fridge had heard him, a slice of cheese fell at his feet from the top shelf. He picked it up. 

_Cheese... really, can cheese help my sauce? Really?_

He looked at the shelf, intending to put the cheese back and then gasped with joy. For right at the front, was a half-full jar of Sonoma Gourmet pizza sauce. 

_Praise the Lord! I am saved!_

He reverently kissed the fridge door and then picked up the bottle. Shutting the door gently, he turned back to the counter. 

_Now to complete my sauce!_

To the spicy bowl of Gochujang and ketchup, he added a generous helping of pizza sauce. 

_Now for a little taste..._

Lifting a spoonful of sauce to his mouth, he closed his eyes, bracing for the taste. 

_Wait a minute, that's not bad... a little sweet but it isn't that horrible burning taste! Perhaps a little more pizza sauce..._

"Tony, honey..." he heard Pepper and turned. 

_I don't want to pressure you but I am done with my savory item... and I'm preparing my dessert... how about you?_

"Hmmm, I need..." he glanced back at his bowl. "I just need ten minutes, I think and I'm done with my lunch dish!"

"Sure. Take your time." 

_Okay enough mixing, time to get saucy!_

The cutting board was hanging from a nail right in front of him. He placed it on the counter, picked up a knife and began to peel the garlic. 

_Now to smash it with the flat edge of the blade to release all the sweet sweet allicin... and how many pods of garlic do I need... let me think... five should do it! They'll add plenty of flavor!_

Once his garlic was peeled and smashed, he set a pan to heat. To it, he added a tablespoon of olive oil. Then he rushed to the sink and rinsed out some parsley leaves.

_Do not forget the oil, do not let the oil burn... time to go back to the oil!_

Rushing back to the pan, he added the garlic pods and gave them a good stir. 

_Let them roast for just a minute... and now for the sauce!_

He carefully spooned his Gochujang-ketchup-pizza sauce mixture into the pan. Then he stirred the mixture, watching as it sizzled and sputtered over the heat. 

_Do I need a serving dish... or can I just serve everything in this pan... mmmmm I think the pan should do it... oh crap, the parsley!_

He shook out the washed parsley and quickly chopped it finely. 

_Don't add it now! It is meant to be a garnish, so let's wait for the sauce and the chicken!_

The sauce was starting to bubble, so he placed the pieces of chicken into the pan and spoon the hot sauce over each piece. Finally he turned off the heat and sprinkled the parsley over the entire dish.

"I'm hungry!" Morgan said with a small pout. "Can we eat? Pleaseeeeee!"

"Just in time, sweety for I am finished! Phew!!"

"Here's an idea..." Pepper said. "Let's eat the savory items now, since Morgan is hungry. After that, we can resume cooking dessert. How does that sound?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week: The Finale! Judgement and Dessert!
> 
> Pepper's Savory Item: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/family-favorite-cheeseburger-pasta/  
> Tony's Savory Item: Chicken Parmesan but a very screwed-up version, so no link :)


	6. Chapter 6

Pepper peered through the oven door, trying her best to see what was going on with her baking item.

_So far so good, the dough has clearly risen... it has just been fifteen minutes, I want moist brownies, so I need to take them out before the minimum recommended cooking time..._

"Psssst, nosy parker!" Tony hissed behind her and she turned.

"What are you cooking in there? Nuclear-grade plutonium? Oh wait, don't tell me! A fresh batch of arugula cookies!"

"Arugula coo-Tony, there's no such thing as arugula cookies!"

He shrugged.

"Hey, there's nothing you health nuts can't ruin, I mean! Make healthy, so..."

"If you must know, I am making brownies."

"Brownies? Brownies! Really?" He looked at her with awe. "That's great, Pepper! I love brownies!"

"Shussh..." she placed her finger on her mouth. "It's meant to be a surprise for Morgan!"

"Oh, oh! Cool, cool... so... what's the catch with these erm brownies..."

He opened up a bag of graham crackers and began to crush them with his fingers.

"Catch?"

"Yeah! You're making them, so there's got to be something disgustingly healthy about them! Let me guess, bean paste instead of chocolate frosting?"

"No! Tony, that's a disgusting combination! I'm making good old-fashioned chocolate brownies with chocolate chips!"

Tony leaned against the counter and raised his eyebrows. She could see the skeptical amusement in his eyes and folded her arms across her chest.

"Well, I am making gluten-free brownies, so I am using arrowroot powder instead of flour. "

"I knew it."

She had to laugh at his comical expression of disgust.

"Tony! You won't notice the difference! Trust me!"

"Hey, it's your dessert item, so why should I be worried!"

"And to cut down on the sweetness, I am using coconut sugar and coconut milk."

He snapped his fingers triumphantly.

"Ahhh! The taste killer supreme!"

"Mr. Stark, these brownies will taste just as great and sweet as regular flour sugar brownies! I guarantee it!"

"Oh really, Miss Potts! I'd like to see that!"

"You shall! When they are ready!" With a loud huff, Pepper turned back towards the oven.

Tony whispered coyly, "Say, you have a sapphire-blue swimming suit, right? And an emerald green one as well?"

She glanced over her shoulder with puzzlement.

"Yes... I do... why?"

"Oh, no reason..." he whistled casually. "Just asking."

Pepper murmured, "Since you asked, I must mention I also have a spanking new red bikini, which I picked up from Marcelle's before the lockdown..."

Tony abruptly dropped the crackers he was holding. Luckily, they fell straight into the bowl.

"I bought it for spring break..." She twirled a loose strand of her hair and nibbled on her lips coquettishly. "It is so tiny, perfect for getting an even tan all over... way too tiny to wear to the beach..."

Tony swallowed convulsively.

"Red bikini?!" he croaked out, clenching his fist absently in the bowl.

"Yes, such a beautiful red... with gold edging all along the..." she gestured at her breasts, "Bikini top, just in line with my curves... and also along the bottom... funnily enough it matches the hot-rod red coloring of your first suit... so bold and bright... and red... and tiny..."

Tony whimpered and then clapped his hand over his mouth.

"Oh well..." she said airily. "Pity I haven't had an opportunity to wear it... it's just languishing in my closet. Oh, I have been chattering for so long! I must get back to my cooking! We need to have lunch!"

Saying so, she twirled on her heel and walked back to her side of the kitchen, smiling to herself.

_That was great! I get few opportunities to tease Tony as much as he teases me!_

"Tony, I'll just make my frosting and then we can eat."

In a microwave-safe bowl, she placed 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips. Then she heated the chips for15 seconds and then removed them. To the melted chips, she added coconut milk, vanilla extract and salt. Then with a whisk, she stirred the mixture until the ingredients blended well together to form a consistent smooth cream. She dipped the whisk into the mixture and watched as the chocolate frosting dripped from the instrument.

"Good, that's good, now to keep it in the fridge..."

She was about to pick up the bowl when a little voice softly said, "Mommmyy..."

Pepper turned to see Morgan standing right behind her. Her daughter twirled cutely on the spot, smiling widely at her.

"Whatya making, mommy?"

"Oh, just the finishing ingredient for your dessert."

Her daughter's eyes lit up.

"Is it frosting? Is it? Is it!"

Pepper couldn't help but smile.

"Yes it is! Now how did you know that?"

"I could smell the chocolate melting! Can I have a taste please?"

"Morgan..." she said gently.

"I mean, I'm sorry, may I have a taste? Please? Pleaseeee?"

"But Morgan, we are going to have lunch now."

"Just one taste, Mommy, please! Just one little taste, please, please! Please..." her daughter pleaded, her big brown eyes staring appealing at Pepper.

"Oh alright... but just a little!"

She took a clean spoon and dipped it into the frosting. Then she bent and handed it to Morgan, who was dancing happily.

"Now taste it and tell me what you think!"

Morgan immediately popped the entire spoon into her little mouth. Pepper waited with bated breath as the little girl sucked thoughtfully on the spoon. Then Morgan clapped her hands gleefully.

"So yummy! Yummmmmmy!"

She exhaled with relief.

"I'm glad you like it, sweetheart! For a moment there, I was worried you wouldn't like the taste of coconut sugar or it wouldn't be sweet enough."

Morgan happily pulled the spoon out of her mouth and licked it.

"It is so chocalaty! And creamy!"

"Yes but it needs to be a little more thick to use on the brownies. That's why I'm going to keep it in the fridge, while we eat."

Morgan eyed her spoon and then raised soft brown eyes to Pepper.

"Can we just have the frosting as dessert? It tastes so good!"

She burst into laughter.

"Oh no sweety, plain frosting is too sweet and just eating it, will make you feel sick after a while! But you will love the frosting on the delicious chocolate brownies I'm baking!"

"Brownies!" Morgan squealed loudly and as if in answer, Tony dropped his spoon to the floor.

"Okay I heard the Scream Alert! What's going on here?" He immediately came over to them. "Aha! I see someone is trying to bribe the good Judge!"

"I am not trying to bribe her, Mr. Stark, Miss Morgan asked for a taste and I gave it to her."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk Potts..." Tony placed his hands on his hips. "Trying to wriggle your way into the Judge's good books, eh? Well, when the Judge tastes my awesome dessert, she's going to forget all about your coconuty brownies."

Being a smart child who knew she was her father's weakness, Morgan immediately clutched Tony's leg and looked up at him with her puppy eyes.

"Daddy, whatya making for dessert?"

"You will just have to wait and see, young Judge..." he patted her head gently.

"Good question. What are you making, Tony?"

He smirked naughtily.

"I ain't tell you, Potts!"

She gasped indignantly.

"Why not!"

"Because I want to retain the element of surprise until the very last moment!"

Pepper sighed.

"Tony, are you making dessert or doing a magic trick?"

"You just wait, it will blow your mind!" He picked up Morgan and bounced her in his arms. "It definitely ain't healthy but it is going to be one of the most unique sweetest things you have ever tasted, young Morgoona! And the best part is you get to watch me assemble it! Live!"

He twirled on the spot, making Morgan squeal joyfully.

"Wait..." Pepper tapped his shoulder. "Tony, so you haven't actually made the dessert yet?"

"Yup! I have gathered all my ingredients, I just need to put them all together and then use my secret weapon!"

She leaned sideways and scanned the counter on his side of the kitchen.

"Chocolate, crackers and marshmallows... in short, a lot of sugar... and your secret weapon..."

"To bind them all!" He cackled maniacally and then tickled Morgan, making her giggle.

Knowing Tony's cooking skills or lack thereof, Pepper had already been apprehensive of what he would make for dessert. Hearing all this, just added to her worry.

"I hope you aren't making something with dangerous chemicals... like vibranium-cooled smore sandwiches or something as such..."

"What?! Don't you fret, Potts, the assembly is completely safe! And the end result will be delicious!"

"Daddy, do you want to taste Mommy's frosting?" Morgan said happily.

Tony looked at the frosting nervously and whispered loudly, "Is it actually frosting?"

Pepper rolled her eyes. Morgan burst into giggles.

"Of course it is, Daddy!"

"Well, I'm just asking, can't trust your mother with these things..."

He shifted Morgan onto one arm and then stretched his fingers towards the bowl of frosting in her hands.

"No fingers!" She said sharply. "I'll give you a spoon!"

She reached behind her, picked up another spoon, dipped it into the bowl and handed it to Tony. His eyes wide, he tentatively licked the very tip of the spoon.

"Hmmmm..."

Then he put the spoon into his mouth.

"Mmmmmhhhh! That's gmghf!"

"Humph! I told you! You do not need to use white sugar to make things sweet!"

Tony took out the spoon and licked it again.

"If you hadn't told me you used coconut sugar, I wouldn't have known. It tastes good and soft..." he looked at her through his long lashes, his mouth curving sensuously, "Almost as sweet as its creator..."

Pepper snorted loudly and then quickly covered her mouth in shame. Tony chuckled.

"I can't help it, Pep, you bring out the flirt in me!"

Morgan wrapped her arms around Tony's neck.

"Daddy, may I have a marshmallow, pleaseeee!"

Tony murmured softly, "I think someone's really hungry..."

"Yes, I'm finished with my prep, let's have lunch." She placed the bowl of frosting in the fridge. "Sit down while I set the table."

Tony caught her hand.

"Why don't you sit down and get some rest?"

"But... but I haven't been working and I'm not tir-"

"You have been up since 8, Potts, doing your job... so let me and Morgan do it." He said, gently squeezing her fingers. "You sit down."

She walked over to their dining table, sat down and then watched with a smile as Morgan cutely took out three plates and cutlery from the drawers Then she came over and placed a plate at each chair.

"Thank you, honey. Here."

Pepper pulled out a chair and Morgan clambered onto it. Tony came over, holding her skillet and his.

"Wait, those are hot, so let me put these..." she placed two coasters on the table and he set the vessels down.

"Well, Judge Morgan," Tony said, sitting down in his chair. "It is time for you to perform your judiciary duties and judge our cooking!"

Morgan clapped her hands together excitedly.

"So, ladies first! Pep, go ahead!"

Pepper stood up and lifted the lid off her skillet.

"For your consideration, may I present my savory entry, cheeseburger pasta!"

"Cheeseburger!" Morgan squealed happily.

Tony scratched his beard.

"Cheeseburger pasta... interesting combination..."

Dipping a serving spoon into the skillet, she spooned two small servings onto Morgan and Tony's plates.

"This is just to taste. If you like it, you can have more."

Tony picked up his spoon and then paused.

"Oops, I forgot! Judges first!"

Morgan lifted the spoon to her lips slowly.

"Honey, careful, it is a bit hot."

She slowly chewed on her food.

"It's amazing..." she whispered in awe, her eyes wide. "So yummy! More, more!"

"So do you like it, Judge?" Pepper asked and her daughter nodded enthusiastically, her mouth full of food.

"But here's a question..." Tony began and then grinned cheekily. "Is it pasta? Or a cheeseburger with pasta in it?"

Pepper narrowed her eyes threateningly and he leaned back.

"Hey, someone has to ask the tough questions!"

"Daddy, it's so good! SOOOOO gooooood!" Morgan squealed. "It's like a soft cheeseburger! So cheesy! Mmmmhh!"

"Well, you definitely have the Judge's approval, Pep... so it isn't healthy, guess I'll have a taste then..."

"Tony..." She said with a sigh and he blew her a cheeky kiss.

Tony ate his spoonful and immediately made a loud appreciative noise, that made her giggle.

"Mppph! Oh my god! This is so good! Wow! Pep! This is the best thing you've ever made!"

"I wouldn't say it is the best thing..." she shrugged, trying to be nonchalant but inside, she was bursting with joy at their obvious appreciation.

"It tastes damn fudging good! Sorry!" Tony gulped and then shoved some more pasta into his mouth. "This is good, this is great! The meat is so soft and the cheese is so gooey and ... hell yes, this is good!"

She propped her chin on her hands, smiling as they finished off their servings.

"Hey Potts!" Tony reached for the serving spoon. "Why aren't you eating?"

"I will, honey, I thought I'd taste your dish first."

He dropped the spoon into the skillet with a loud 'plop'.

"Oh no!" Morgan immediately put her spoon down. "We didn't taste Daddy's food! I forgot!"

Tony gulped audibly, looking between them with big wide eyes.

"I forgot about my own dish..." he murmured.

"Tony, what's the matter?"

"Oh nothing! Nothing at all!"

Morgan happily bounced up and down in her seat.

"Daddy, what did you make?"

"I ... erm..." He slowly lifted the lid of his vessel, revealing a thick brick-red sauce covering what appeared to be pieces of chicken. "I made... a... fusion version of Chicken Parmesan."

"A fusion version?" Pepper asked curiously. Tony just nodded, staring at his dish.

"I wanna taste!" Morgan said excitedly.

"NO!" At their look of puzzlement, he said quickly, "Mommy gets to taste it first, because... Mommy, you taste it first and if it is okay, Morgan gets to taste."

Pepper did not know whether to laugh or to worry. So she just kept quiet as Tony served her a spoonful of his dish.

"Tony, you've just given me sauce, please give me a piece of chicken as well."

He shook his head.

"Why don't you try them one by one? First a bit of sauce and then chicken and sauce."

She raised her eyebrows.

"You are beginning to frighten me! Just what is in your sauce?"

"Just... take a small taste first, don't put the whole spoon in your mouth."

Pepper dipped her spoon into the sauce on her plate and then slowly lifted it to her lips. Tony watched her with wide, almost fearful eyes.

She delicately licked at the sauce and then popped the entire spoon into her mouth.

"It's not bad... not a traditional tomato sauce... a little sweet..." Then she felt the spice at the back of her throat. "Oh! It's got a kick!"

"Oh crap!" Tony immediately stood up. "I'll get the soda!"

She held up her hand.

"Honey, it isn't that spicy... it is bearable... interesting flavor... sweet tomato with a spicy swirl... hmmm... tastes like..." she focused on the taste, trying to narrow down the ingredient. "Is it Gochujang?"

"Yeah... Gochujang and tomato ketchup and Gochugaru..."

"Which explains the lingering burning aftertaste but honestly, it isn't bad... I'm also picking up garlic and... did you add pizza sauce?"

"Why yes!" He leaned back in his chair, suddenly relaxed. "It was too spicy at first, so I added pizza sauce to reduce the heat. Boy, am I glad you can eat it!"

"It's an interesting twist on typical Italian tomato sauce... now I would like to taste it with some chicken please."

"Sure! I was just worried about the sauce! I thought it was inedible!"

He spooned a helping of sauce and chicken onto her plate.

"Can I have some now?" Morgan asked, looking between them. Tony looked at Pepper questioningly.

"It might be a little spicy for you, honey, here, have a taste from my spoon..." She lifted her spoon to Morgan's lips.

Morgan licked the sauce and immediately, her little face scrunched up in disgust.

"Ewwww, weird! It tastes weird! No!"

She took a long sip of her juice and swallowed it hard, rubbing her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Awww pumpkin, what's the matter?" Tony asked worriedly. "You don't like it?"

Morgan said solemnly, "It tastes funny. I don't want more, thank you!"

"Come on Judge, don't be so quick to judge!" Tony pleaded, wringing his hands, making sad eyes at Morgan. "Surely there must be something you liked!"

Morgan folded her arms across her chest and mutinously shook her head from side to side.

"Nothing?! Oh my... oh well..." Tony sighed softly. "Maybe my chicken can change your mind?"

Pepper lifted her fork and knife, intending to cut up a piece of chicken. She poked the chicken with her fork but as she moved the knife, she realized how tough the chicken was. So instead, she used her fork to scrape aside some of the sauce covering the chicken, to get a better look at the meat itself.

_Hmmmm, my knife has cut through the breaded crust of the chicken... but won't cut through the meat itself... why is that..._

She tried again, using as much force as she could, to cut the chicken with the knife.

"Is it tough?" Tony asked.

"It certainly feels so! What did you use as a crust? Aha!"

Finally her knife passed through the chicken and she had a bite-sized piece. She pierced it with her fork and lifted it, assessing it critically.

"There seem to be two clear layers, some sort of charred breading and a dark pink fleshy layer... wait a minute... did you cook the chicken?"

"Of course I did! I coated it with the breading and then fried it in the skillet!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Was the oil hot enough? When you placed the chicken in the pan, did it sizzle? Are you sure it was fried?"

"Yes and yes! In fact, I-" He paused, a most guilty expression crossed his face.

"You left it in the skillet for too long, didn't you?" She touched the crusty blackish-brown breading of the chicken piece. "It seems burnt..."

"It got slightly over-fried!" He said hotly.

"Which means it got burnt! But here's the other problem..." she stretched her fork towards him. "Look at the color of the chicken meat!"

"So it's dark in some places and light in the others... and this piece is a little more pink than normal!" He shrugged defensively. "So what?"

"Tony, that means your meat is undercooked! Your breading has fried but your chicken is still raw on the inside!"

"Oh no way, Potts!"

"Oh yes Tony! I definitely suspect so! This!" She waved the fork for emphasis. "Is not the color of cooked chicken! The flesh should be opaque throughout! Your meat is pink!"

"Show me!" Morgan chirruped excitedly.

Pepper turned the fork towards her. The little girl gasped comically, making them both laugh.

"So pretty pink!"

"But isn't chicken meat made up of dark meat and light meat?" Tony said thoughtfully.

Pepper bit her lip, struggling to control her laughter.

"What? It is true! I've heard it somewhere or I've read it somewhere!"

"Tony, the light meat, dark meat classification refers to the type of muscle fibers present in different parts of the chicken. Chicken breasts and wings contain less dark or red fibers, so they are considered white meat parts. Dark meat chicken such as thighs and drumsticks, contain 50% red fibers. But when chicken is cooked, the meat should not be dark in color!"

"We're doing a lot of talking here, how about some tasting? It might taste fine for all its color!"

She pinched the piece of chicken between her fingers, feeling the toughness of its flesh.

"I doubt that but it wouldn't hurt to try... at least I hope it won't hurt..."

"May I taste?" Morgan asked and as a chorus, they replied, "No! Absolutely not!"

"Pumpkin, mommy and I need to establish what is going on with the chicken and then you can taste, alright?" Tony patted her head gently.

"I'll allow it..." Morgan said with a little pout.

Using his fork, Tony picked up a piece of chicken.

"Let me also taste my own cooking!"

Pepper slowly bit into the crust of the chicken piece on her fork, taking care not to bite into the chicken meat itself. Immediately, she recoiled at the thick cloying greasy taste that filled her mouth.

"Oh my, that is oily!"

She quickly swallowed it, grimacing in disgust at the aftertaste of oil.

"Tony, your breading has soaked up a lot of oil! In fact, it just tastes like oil!"

Rolling his eyes, Tony bit into his piece of chicken. And immediately spat it into his hand.

"Tony!"

"Sorry, I'm sorry, it's just! It's so hard and yet clammy and..." he gagged, "Raw! First the crunchy oily crust and then the rawness! Yuck!"

He stuck his tongue out and shuddered. Her lips curved at the comical expression of disgust on his face. Morgan giggled loudly.

"Daddy, that's funny! Do it again!"

Pepper placed her knife and fork down on her plate.

"Alright, I've tasted enough. Tony, did you use a thermometer to check the cooking temperature?"

"Hmmmm..." He murmured absently, occupied with wiping his hand on a tissue. "A thermometer... a thermometer... wait a minute..."

His eyes grew wide. "You can use a thermometer with food? While cooking? Where? I mean, where do you... stick the thermometer!"

"Tony..." Pepper said slowly, trying her best not to laugh at his incredulous expression. "There are devices called cooking thermometers. There are different types available and we have an instant-read thermometer that can be used to check if a piece of food is cooked completely through or not. You simply insert the thermometer's probe into the food, check the temperature and remove it."

"Okay... and why would I have needed a thermometer?"

"Because your chicken has cooked unevenly! The outer layer has been overcooked, maybe your oil was too hot but the inside is still mostly raw! You could have avoided this by using the thermometer and checking the internal temperature of the chicken as it was frying."

"Am I hearing this right? Fried chicken has an ideal cooking temperature?!"

"Yes, it does, Tony..." she said patiently.

He dejectedly looked at the skillet of chicken parmesan.

"Well, I think it is safe to say I lost this round."

"I..." She bit her lip, not wanting to sound judgmental. "I think your choice of dish was good, it is rustic but earthy and comforting, when cooked properly. I like the exotic twist you brought to the standard tomato sauce. But I would really like to know what went wrong with your chicken."

He pushed his fingers through his hair, sticking it up in tufts.

"I don't know, I felt the oil was hot, I used egg and breading... well, the breading is burnt... and the sauce doesn't count... Judge Morgan didn't like it..."

"It's too spicy..." Their daughter scrunched her nose up. "Burns funny in throat, Daddy."

"It's alright, pumpkin, I understand. the sauce... it was messed up too...I only managed made it edible after adding pizza sauce..."

Pepper was now very curious. "Pizza sauce?"

Tony sighed loudly. "First I used ketchup, Gochujang and Gochugaru flakes. I thought the sugar in the ketchup would balance out the heat. Boy, was I wrong! My entire mouth was on fire! So to save my Franken-mixture, I raided the fridge and found pizza sauce!"

She was going to say something, when suddenly her stomach rumbled loudly. Morgan immediately burst into giggles.

"Oh dear! I'm sorry, I..."

"Pep, don't apologize, come on, you must be hungry! Shit, I just realized we are sitting here in front of your delicious dish, letting it get cold! Let's eat and talk later!"

"But... we just have my pasta and... that's not enough for all three of us..."

"Oh... wait, I think there is one box of microwave pizza left in the freezer..."

"No, not pizza again, we are anyways going to have dessert, so we just need a small side to supplement the pasta... how does garlic bread sound?"

Tony nodded while Morgan clapped her hands excitedly.

"Alright, I'll be back!"

She stood up and left the table, to enter the kitchen.

"Pep, let me help you!" Tony came right behind her.

"Okay I'll get the butter. Can you cut up a baguette please?"

"Sure! But..."

She opened the fridge and scanned its contents.

"What is it, Tony?"

"Where is this... bag of IT?"

Pepper leaned back to look at him.

"In the bread box. Look to the left of where you are standing. The wooden container by the copper pot."

"Oh! Got it!"

She looked back at the fridge.

"I remembering making a fresh batch of garlic butter... aha!"

Locating the red mason jar, she pulled it out of the fridge. Walking over to Tony's side of the kitchen, she watched him stab the long baguette loaf with the kitchen knife. Pepper bit her lip, trying to hide her wince.

"From the look on your face, I'm guessing this isn't the way to cut up one of these...." Tony murmured, pulling the knife out of the bread.

"Hmmm no... no, it isn't... firstly, that's the wrong knife to use... you should use a serrated knife and you should saw the bread crosswise into small not-too-thick or thin circular pieces."

"Gotcha!" He changed knives and began to cut the bread. As he cut up pieces, she buttered each piece on both sides. Gathering all the pieces of buttered bread in a plate, she placed the plate in the microwave and set it to heat for 5 minutes.

"Go sit down, Tony, I'll get the bread and come."

"Kay."

She turned back to the microwave and watched the timer blink. Then she heard Morgan whisper, "It's okay, Daddy..."

Pepper slowly glanced backwards. Morgan and Tony's identical chestnut-haired heads were joined together. She watched as Morgan's chubby little hands reached around her father's neck to pull him closer.

"I messed up, Judge Morgoona... and I so wanted to win this competition!"

"I know, Daddy but you did your best and sometimes that is all you can do..." Her daughter whispered solemnly, her hands gently patting Tony's bent head. "Besides, you have still have to make dessert!"

Tony lifted his head. His lips slowly curved.

"That's right! I still have a chance! More than a chance! Because there is no way I can mess up dessert!"

Morgan jiggled happily in her seat and Tony pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.

"Thank you, sweet Judge for consoling me..."

"It's okay, Daddy and remember, even if you don't win, Imma love you all the same! I just want you to have fun!"

The loud ding of the microwave made them look up and she quickly turned away. She took the garlic bread out of the device and walked back to the table. The minute she set the bread down, Tony immediately pushed the skillet of cheeseburger pasta towards her.

"Pepper, you have to eat!"

"I will, Tony but first, let's divide up the bre-"

"I'll do it, you fill your plate and start eating!" He said firmly.

So she obeyed, spooning a small amount of pasta onto her plate. Tony divided the bread amonsgt the three of them and then quickly added another spoon of pasta to her plate.

"Tony!"

"You have hardly eaten anything, Pepper! So no arguments!"

"I'm eating, I'm eating..." she grumbled, rolling her eyes.

For a while, there was pindrop silence as they ate contentedly. Then the oven timer went off.

"My brownies are done!"

She pushed her chair back but Tony was quicker.

"Pepper Potts, you stay there! I'll get it!"

He rushed over to the oven.

"Tony, use the mitts please! It's very hot!"

"Yes, yes!" He shoved his hands into the mitts and pulled open the oven door. Immediately, the kitchen was filled with a rich chocolaty aroma.

"It smells wonderful!" Morgan clapped her hands excitedly.

Tony stood before the open oven, his mitt-covered hands raised protectively.

"Honey, do you need my help?"

"Nope! Pep, you remain where you are! I got this!"

She watched nervously as he extended his hands into the oven.

"Why you scared, Mommy? Do you think Daddy will drop the brownies?"

"He won't drop them but I am really afraid that your father will burn himself on the sides of the oven, while pulling the dish out. The oven mitts will only protect his hands but his arms and elbows are bare! And he is a bit impatient..."

"Aha!" Tony triumphantly lifted the baking pan from the oven.

"Place it on the counter, please! And be careful, it is very hot!"

"Never fear, Potts, your brownies are in safe hands!"

He set the dish down on the counter and pulled the mitts off.

"Let's have brownies now!" Morgan shouted loudly, jumping up and down in her seat.

"We can't just yet, sweetheart, we need to wait for them to cool... besides, don't you want brownies with delicious frosting?"

"Oh yes! I want frosting too!"

Tony came back to the table and sat down. They resumed eating the pasta. But after five minutes, Morgan pushed back her plate and set her fork and spoon down.

"I'm done! Time for dessert!"

"Hold on, pumpkin. You need to wait for everyone to finish before leaving the table, remember?" Tony said gently.

"That's right, I'm sorry..."

"Morgan, don't you want some more pasta?" She asked.

"No, thank you! I'm saving room for dessert!" Her daughter's brown eyes twinkled merrily. "I have to taste two items, I need room in my tummy!"

"Smart thinking, Judge!" Tony picked up Morgan's plate and placed it on his own.

"Tony, why don't you have some more pasta?"

"Oh, no, no, Potts, you have to finish it!"

"What! I can't!"

"Yes you can! You didn't have breakfast, so you need to eat up!"

"I..." She tucked her tongue in her cheek. "I had breakfast..."

"Oh really?" Tony propped his chin on his hands, narrowing his eyes. "And just what did you have for breakfast?"

"What makes you so sure I didn't have breakfast?"

"Because when I woke up and came down here, I noticed that there were no dishes in the sink..."

"I could have washed the breakfast dishes."

"True, true but then there would have been dishes in the drying rack... and there were none!"

His smug grin made her smile. "Ever the detective, Mr. Stark..."

"I also noticed that the coffee machine had a fresh pot of coffee. Not breakfast, a cup of coffee is!"

This made her giggle.

"Coming from a man who used to live on coffee, that's funny!"

"Ah but you see, I have since then been reformed..." His gaze softened. "By my boss..."

"Yeah because once you got a taste of my delicious breakfasts, you didn't want to just have coffee in the morning!"

He leaned back in his seat, grinning boyishly. "That's... kinda true... but Pepper, seriously... why aren't you eating in the morning?"

She shrugged. "I guess it's because I've been sleeping late nowadays... and then I wake up just in time for my morning standup, so I have coffee, thinking I'll have breakfast after the meeting... but one meeting leads into the other and..."

"And instead, you skip breakfast completely and show up for lunch five hours later." He shook his head. "We're going to change that, Miss Potts. Starting from tomorrow. Or today night. When you will be going to bed on time."

Pepper smirked. "I'd like to see how you do that..."

"I got my ways..." He gave her a slow long wink. "Don't forget, I control the Wi-Fi..."

"Oh Tony! You wouldn't!"

"Would I?"

Just then, Morgan drummed her fingers on the table before fidgeting impatiently in her seat. They both noticed the movement.

"Wow, someone's really picked up her father's habits..." she murmured teasingly.

Tony stood up. "Judge Morgoona, why don't we clean up and let Mommy finish eating?"

"Yes, Daddy!" She shimmied off her chair and he lifted her plate.

"Good girl, do you know what to do?"

"Yes, yes!"

Pepper ate her food, watching father and daughter clear things away and fill the dishwasher. When she was done, she lifted her plate and glanced at the skillet on the table.

"Tony, there's some cheeseburger pasta left over. Please keep it in the fridge."

He came back towards the table.

"What did we just discuss, young lady?"

"But I cleared my plate!"

"Pep, there's barely three bites in there! You have to finish it!"

"Oh no no, I can't!"

"Miss Potts..." He lifted the skillet and spooned the remaining pasta onto her plate. "I insist."

"But Tony..."

Tony placed his hands on the table and leaned towards her. His chestnut brown eyes gazed deeply into hers.

"Young lady, you better finish your food. All of it. Else, there shall be no dessert round!"

"Says who?" She said cheekily, sticking her tongue out at him.

He quirked an eyebrow. "Are you.... are you sassing me? Judge!" 

He looked back at Morgan, who was eyeing the brownies on the counter.

"Judge, Miss Potts here, isn't finishing her food, shouldn't she be punished?"

"Yes, Daddy!"

Pepper giggled. "Morgan has eyes only for the brownies, I doubt she even heard a word you said!"

Tony looked at her and then back at Morgan.

"Honey, tomorrow you are getting a haircut!"

They waited with bated breath but their daughter just murmured, "Sure, Daddy...", never taking her big brown eyes off the brownies.

"I'm sure she's busy trying some junior Jedi mind tricks on those brownies... but ..." Tony turned back towards her. Moving like lightning, he flipped the chair next to hers and sat down, his hard knees nudging her.

"I got my eye on you, Miss Potts, so you better listen to me..."

"I'm all ears, Mr. Stark..."

"It has come to my attention that you've been so busy running your company remotely, that you aren't taking care of yourself... well, all that is going to change... starting today. With you eating a proper meal. And finishing it. The law is on my side, so there will not be any dessert making until you finish your food. And I got nothing to do, so I can sit here all day and wait until you do!"

His dark gaze and his soft but firm tone made a slow thrill surge through her entire body. She moistened her lips purposely, knowing it would affect him.

"You are so commanding when you're domestic, Mr. Stark..."

Those dark eyes gleamed and then his hand gently cupped her face. Stroking her cheek with his thumb, he murmured, "Just you wait until our playdate, Miss Potts... then I'll show you just how masterful I can be..."

"You still seem pretty sure you are going to win, Mr. Stark..."

The corners of his mouth quirked upwards. He let her chin go and she controlled her disappointment. Then suddenly, his fingers wove into the base of her ponytail. They tightened slowly and she felt her head being lightly tilted back. She took a deep breath, feeling a familiar delightful tightening in her stomach.

Tony's warm breath drifted over her neck, making her skin prickle with sensation.

_"Veni, vidi, vici."_ He murmured. "With a gorgeous prize such as yourself for the claiming, I will not settle for anything but victory..."

His prickly beard gently grazed her skin, making it difficult to think straight.

"That is such a vain thing to say, Stark..." She gasped loudly as his firm teeth lightly scored her flesh.

"I can't help it, Potts, you bring out that side of me..."

His fingers tilted her head back just a little more, allowing his warm lips to move slowly and teasingly over her flushed neck.

"Tony...." She moaned softly, completely losing her mind. His lips curved against her skin.

"I know all your weak spots, Potts and I intend to use them... to my advantage..."

She snorted derisively and then moaned again as he gently bit the sensitive flesh connecting her neck to her shoulders.

"Here's another one... and...."

In the distance, she heard a soft 'ding' and much to her surprise, her hair was gently let go. Tony's warm mouth moved away and she straightened in a daze, blinking hard. He stood up, a most rueful expression on his face.

"I'm afraid that's all the time we have at the moment, Miss Potts."

"Wait... what... what was that..." Then she noticed his watch and her jaw dropped in disbelief. "Did you... did you put an alarm for... for-"

"For sweet talking you?" He smirked cheekily. "My guilty pleasure!"

"Mr. Stark!"

"I can't help it, Miss Potts, cooking and baking requires attention and if my attention's on you, I can't think of anything else!"

"So you set aside a time period... just to..."

"Just to get my little fix of Pepper Potts goodness but now it's back to work!"

He stood up and picked up the skillet. She huffed loudly, making him chuckle.

"That's... that's! So!"

"Efficient? Smart?"

"So sneaky! You're the one who keeps teasing me into a state and then..." She trailed off, rolling her eyes at his smug grin.

"Leaving you breathless with desire?"

"Keeping me on edge! And distracting me!"

Tony lowered his long lashes and looked at her, his lips curving in a very seductive manner.

"That's because I love seeing you on the edge... watching you beg and whimper for release... writhing against me desperately, your voice going all throaty and soft and deep as you plead for me to go harder, faster, harder..."

Pepper flushed hotly, not only because his words were completely true but because they reminded her of just how good Tony was at prolonging her pleasure. But she sniffed loudly and stood, picking up her plate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week, the Conclusion to the Cooking Competition! Even if it kills me!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg, it's a Christmas miracle! I finally finished the conclusion to the Cooking challenge!

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to empty this in the trash. I hope I don't end up poisoning the raccoons!"

"It wasn't that bad, Tony.... for a first attempt..." 

He tilted the skillet over the dustbin and scrapped the mixture into the bin.

"What I don't understand is how I messed up the chicken. I've watched my mom make this dish, I've tasted this dish! And the chicken is the easiest part! Yeah, I'll admit I took a shortcut with the sauce and I nearly messed it up but how did my chicken not cook?!"

"Your breading was overcooked, burnt in fact-"

"Because I got distracted mid-way."

"Distracted? By what?"

A bright red flush crept onto his cheeks. "Ah... my mind wandered! Forget it, it isn't important! The oil was hot, I'm sure of it!"

"The oil was not the problem, Tony... and ideally, if your chicken remained in overheated oil for a long time, it should have been burnt just like the breading. But it was still raw!" 

Then she thought of something.

"Hold on! You took the chicken from the deep freezer, right?"

"Yup."

"Did you let it defrost? Or did you cook it straight away? Because you cannot cook frozen chicken!"

"I know that! I defrosted it in the microwave!"

"You did? Well... ideally you should leave it on the counter for 30 mins, until it becomes room temperature. But I suppose defrosting in the microwave works as well..."

"I really didn't have 30 mins to wait for it to defrost, so I just zapped in the microwave for a minute and-"

"For a minute! Oh Tony! Chicken from the freezer, needs to be heated for at least five minutes in the microwave, in order to be completely defrosted."

He stared into the distance, blinking slowly.

"But... but I only heated it for a minute... is that why... it was so pink and hard..."

"Yes! Your chicken was still semi-frozen when you fried it! That's why it tasted raw!"

He covered his face with his hands, muttering into them.

"Tony... Tony, it is all in the past now..."

"I can't believe I wasted all those lovely ingredients on raw chicken!" He moaned loudly. "Of course it was inedible. But wait a minute! I used baking powder on the chicken! Surely that should have helped it cook faster!"

"Well... no... because..." She paused, trying to frame her words carefully, so as not to seem harsh. "If chicken is frozen, it isn't going to cook, no matter what you do... you can't cook iced-filled things. And I'm afraid you have a misconception about baking powder. If added to your coating, it helps make the coating crunchier and cook better but adding it to chicken... will not make any difference..."

Tony sighed loudly, lifting his head to the ceiling. "I thought 1 minute in the microwave would be enough! Ahh, fuu..." He looked at Morgan and then quickly continued "-Udge! Well! Now I know what I did wrong!"

He walked over to the sink and began to rinse his skillet out.

"Tony... I... I do not want to seem critical here... but... I'm just very curious.... what did you use for the crust?"

"Erm... I used a mixture of panko breadcrumbs and almond flour... just to make things extra crunchy...." He looked over his shoulder at her. "Let me guess, I messed that up as well, right?"

"Well... I think your breading was a little uneven... it was thick and filled with oil in some places..."

"And burnt and grimy in others... yeah, in summary, chicken undercooked because it was frozen stiff! Covering overcooked and burnt! Yeesh!!"

He tossed the skillet into the dish washer and straightened. "It's the burnt omelette with greens all over again! Wait... this is even worse!"

"Honey, you're being too hard on yourself..." Pepper walked over to the sink and began to rinse her plate out. "You just made one mistake-"

"And ruined the entire dish..." He said ruefully, shaking his head. "My mother's signature dish."

She added her plate to the dishwasher and then straightened.

"It was more a technicality than a mistake."

He raised his eyebrows skeptically and she giggled.

"Don't look at me like that!"

"I appreciate the effort to cheer me up, Potts but the fact remains, I F-upped badly!"

"But that's what I'm saying, honey, you didn't mess up, you just didn't know!"

She walked back to him and raised her hand, to pat his head, smoothing down his tufts of downy soft hair. He closed his eyes and leaned into her caress, like a cat asking to be petted.

"Tony, I'm not saying this just to make you feel better but honestly, Chicken Parmesan is not an easy recipe! Especially if you are making it for the first time! So cut yourself some slack."

"About 12%?" He murmured, looking at her through his lashes.

"Sounds about right. But honestly... you do deserve a little more credit than that... your intentions were good, you knew that your chicken had to be defrosted, you just didn't know the correct amount of time needed to do so... and that knowledge comes from using a microwave regularly... your tomato sauce was so flavorful-"

"But Morgan hated it!"

"Tony..." She rolled her eyes. "Morgan is six! She seems to have a preference for simple sauces like ketchup. Gochujang is an acquired taste! I liked your sauce a lot!"

His beautiful chestnut brown eyes searched hers anxiously.

"Did you really?"

"Yes, I did, I promise! It was different and had a rich umami-flavoring... and you said it yourself, that you messed up the sauce the first time and then you managed to correct it..."

"Yeah, it was too spicy! I burned my own mouth!"

"So you, completely on your own, adjusted the spiciness by adding a new ingredient and fixed your sauce! That's an accomplishment!"

He scrunched up his face.

"Yeah... I suppose so... but... but I just feel so bad that I messed up my mom's signature recipe! I loved watching her cook, with the rich opera music of _Madama Butterfly_ in the background, she would dance around the kitchen like a magical being of light, chopping and stirring and soon an aromatic fragrance would fill the entire house..."

He tilted his head back, exhaling heavily.

"She always seemed so... happy and peaceful when she was cooking... and she knew I wasn't paying much attention, I was always distracted but she would still explain what she was doing and she would always give me little tidbits... a taste of her hot pungent sauce, a bite of freshly baked chicken, she preferred baking to frying... oh! And halfway through because I would continuously whine about being hungry, she would make a little bread and cheese plate for me... with her homemade tomato sauce on the side... I just cherish those memories of her and I thought..."

He trailed off but Pepper knew what was going through his mind. She wrapped her arms around his broad chest and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Tony, don't give up on yourself! One of these days, you should definitely try making your mother's chicken Parmesan again. This time, ask Morgan to help you. Make a day of it, teach her the recipe as you cook, so that you'll be passing on your mother's recipe."

"But Pep... I don't know enough of the actual recipe to pass it on!" He whispered brokenly. "I thought I knew it but... well, you tasted what I made!"

She lifted her head to look at him.

"Honey, trust me, the specifics won't matter to Morgan, what does matter is the experience... you may not remember your mother's recipe but you cherish the memory of her cooking with you, spending time with you, so do the same for Morgan! If you are not confident about making Chicken Parmesan, make something else, make something that you can add your own unique flair and creativity to, don't let one cooking mishap make you insecure... and honestly... I feel your mother would be so proud that you thought to use her recipe... and that you want to teach Morgan the same recipe, so that her cooking tradition can continue..."

"A cooking tradition..." His chest rumbled as he chuckled. "Somehow I never thought that would be the tradition I'd pass to my daughter... but you're right... I keep talking to Morgan about the lab and the work I do, so why not cooking? By teaching my daughter the little cooking I know, I'm honoring my mother's memory... and that's all I want to do... because I love her so much..."

She gently nuzzled his face and he smiled.

Touching his forehead against hers, he murmured, "You know what's funny... my mother always made Chicken Parmesan on the days I messed up... like the day I blew up the outer garage trying to make a hover-vehicle and Dad was super pissed... or the day Dad and I had a huge fight because he found scratches on his vintage Plymouth... I had snuck out the previous night and taken it for a drive... I don't know whether she planned it but it was my mother's way of comforting me... and today! I royally mess up my recipe and here I have a very beautiful woman comforting me, supporting me... even though I messed up... some things never change..."

He slowly pressed his lips against hers and she opened her mouth, kissing him back. Leaning against him, Pepper slid her arms around his neck as Tony's callused hands slowly slid up her shirt, sending prickles of sensation cascading through her.

"Morgan is right here..."

"Don't worry, I'll keep it clean..." He gently nibbled on her bottom lip, making her moan and push herself against his hard chest. "As long as you keep quiet, Potts..."

"Oh so I'm the noisy one! What if I do this?"

She gently tugged on the fine soft hair at the nape of his neck and Tony let out a little whimper, making her lips curve against his.

"And that's just one of your many sensitive spots, Stark... what if I..." She was going to lower her hand to his backside, when Tony murmured, "Erm... I really hate to interrupt you but the good Judge seems to have reached the end of her patience..."

Pepper turned in his embrace, only to see Morgan had climbed onto the counter stool and was comically inching towards the cooling brownies on the table.

"Uh oh..." She whispered, trying not to laugh.

"Yeah, the dessert has become the hunted..." He slowly let her go, saying, "So Judge, are you ready for your dessert?"

"Yes! Yes, I am!" Morgan jumped up and down excitedly.

"Alrighty, so Pep... do you want to go first?"

She walked over to the table.

"Let me check if they have cooled."

With her index finger, she lightly touched each edge of her brownies resting on the wire rack.

"They have cooled. And my frosting should be firm enough now. Judge, may I please frost the brownies first, so that I can also watch Daddy conjure up his dessert?"

"Yes! But I want to see frosting!"

Pepper walked over to the fridge and pulled out the bowl of frosting. She placed it on the counter and Tony picked Morgan up in his arms.

He murmured, "Admit it, Morgoona, you want to watch Mommy frosting, only because you want the leftovers."

With a very solemn look on her cute face, Morgan shook her head from side to side.

"No. That's not true. I have to sup...ervise... every... con... test..."

They both waited for her to finish the word but she scrunched up her face and said, "Fighter!"

"Good save..." Tony kissed her cheek. "And the word you are looking for, is 'contestant'. Say it with me, con..."

"Con!"

"Test..."

"Test!"

"Ant! Con-test-ant!"

"Con... testant!"

"Good girl! Alright, Mommy, you have our attention, please begin!"

She dipped a spoon into the bowl and scooped up a generous amount of frosting. Then using a butter knife, she spread the frosting over a section of the brownies, taking care to make sure the frosting was evenly distributed. Pin-drop silence filled the bright kitchen as she continued frosting.

"Either both of you have fallen asleep or this is truly riveting stuff..." She said teasingly, glancing over her shoulder at father and daughter. Their matching chestnut brown eyes gleamed as they gazed at the chocolate-covered brownies.

"So yummy...." Morgan whispered.

"Here, you can have a sample." She held out the frosting spoon and Morgan took it gladly.

"Thank you!"

"I called it! The edible bribes continue..." Tony muttered darkly but then happily took the frosting knife when offered.

She then proceeded to cut the brownie square into bite-sized pieces. Tony and Morgan were still by her side, making loud 'mmmh' and 'ymmmm' noises of appreciation.

"I'll put these away for later."

"Mommy..."

"Erm, honey you missed a patch of brownie over there... and there's frosting left."

"Oh, I've left that bare on purpose. I know the good Judge likes messy thickly-frosted brownies, so I'm going to carefully warm up this unused frosting and pour it over the brownie, letting the frosting drip all over the plate."

Morgan squealed loudly, making them both jump.

"Whoa! Young lady, some of us have delicate ears!" Tony winced. "Are you trying to break the sound barrier?"

"Sorry, Daddy..." She immediately clasped his cheeks and then giggled. "Prickly!"

"Daddy, I'm done. It's now your turn." Pepper stretched out her arms but Tony smirked.

"I can hold onto the Judge and put together my masterpiece with one hand."

His cockiness made her giggle.

"I'm sure you can, slick but let's not test that out today. Especially since you are easily distracted and you need all your concentration for your masterpiece."

"Oh yeah... this is my saving grace! Here you go!"

She took Morgan from him, holding her tightly against her chest.

"Let's start, let's start!" Morgan jiggled excitedly in her arms.

"Milady and Judge, if you will come this way please!"

They moved over to Tony's side of the kitchen area, where his ingredients were laid out.

"Presenting..." He gestured at the counter, "Exhibit A: graham crackers! Exhibit B: the finest quality Lindt milk chocolate and finally, marshmallows!"

Morgan squealed and hugged her tighter. Pepper watched with curiosity as he placed broken squares of chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Then he layered the marshmallows on top of the chocolate.

"I want a marshmallow! And some chocolate!" Morgan murmured loudly.

"Hold on, Judge, trust me, your patience will be rewarded. Now watch me make sweet magic!"

Out of nowhere, Tony lifted his butane blow torch with a flourish, making them both gasp.

"Just what are you upto, Stark?!"

He gave her a cheeky wink and then began to fiddle with the torch.

"First I gotta adjust the flame here for optimum heat!"

Lowering the torch's nozzle right over the bowl, he pressed the switch. The sight of the blue blazing flame melting the thick white marshmallows, made Morgan squeal with delight.

"Wow, Daddy!"

"I'm impressed, Stark. This is some way to melt marshmallows..." She murmured with awe, watching him skillfully move the torch over the marshmallows, never lingering in one place for too long.

"Isn't it! This can be done in an oven but the blow torch allow for better localization and allows for more pizzazz! And it's fun!"

Morgan leaned forward, stretching her little arms out. "I wanna try!"

"No!" They both said as a chorus and she scrunched up her face angrily.

"I wanna try! Pleeease! Please!"

"Honey, that is a very dangerous tool that uses fire." She pushed her daughter's hair from her face. "Didn't you learn about fire in your Science lesson last week? And how it is not something to play with?"

"I wannnt!" Morgan raised her fists and wriggled angrily. "I want to use the torch!"

"Morgan-"

"I wannt to try!" Her daughter screamed loudly, her cheeks bright red.

"Well then, here you go." Tony turned off the torch and held it out to Morgan.

Pepper immediately stepped back in horror. "Tony!"

"But Mommy," Tony said, waggling his eyebrows meaningfully. "The Judge here, wants to try. So let her try!"

"Yaah! Give me!"

Pepper looked at him askance. "Tony, I'm not okay with you teaching our daughter how to use a blow torch!"

"It's got a s-a-f-e-t-y s-w-i- t- c-h." He spelled out in a whisper. "She will not be able to t-u-r-n i-t o-n."

"Daddy, don't spell, I can't understand!" Morgan said, looking between them with confusion.

"I'm just talking nonsense, here you go, pumpkin."

Pepper watched with apprehension as he gently placed the torch in Morgan's little hands.

"Lift it up with one hand. That's it! Now this is the flame nozzle, turn it away from your face and Mommy's and let your flame blaze brightly!"

With wide-eyed anticipation, Morgan looked at the torch, holding it out in front of her but nothing happened. She shook it slightly and then a little harder but still there was no flame.

"Daddy! What's happening!"

"Yeah, why isn't it working? Let me try!"

He took it from her, held it afar and then pressed the switch. Immediately the torch worked and Morgan whimpered.

"Why didn't it work for me! Give me again! Let me try!"

"Try once more." He handed the torch back to her. "Maybe it was stuck."

She stuck her tongue in her cheek, struggling to control her laughter as Morgan very cutely scrunched up her face with concentration. She clasped the torch with both hands and shook it slightly.

"It doesn't work! Why won't it work for me!"

"Hmmmm... let me check the fine print here..." Tony took the torch back and peered at the instructions label. "Oh dear! It says here 'Only for Ages 30 and above'."

He winced. "Sorry, pumpkin, I'm afraid there's a built-in age limit to use the torch. You'll just have to wait for another 24 years to use it."

"Twenty-four years!" Morgan covered her face with her palms. "But! But I'll be old! I want to use it now!"

"Ah well. C'est la vie, I'm afraid. But hey, you got me!" He patted her head gently. "Let your old man do all the burning for now. The moment you turn 30, you can take over the torch-using duties, mkay?"

"Okay..." Morgan sniffed, her little lip quivering.

"Hey sport, cheer up, I know it sucks that you can't use the torch but you can still enjoy a delicious chocolaty gooey dessert!"

Morgan gave him a small smile.

"Tell you what, let me make a little sampler for you. We have a spare marshmallow or two..."

He turned towards the counter, lifted the packet of marshmallows and tipped out a marshmallow into his palm. Then he poked it with a toothpick and then carefully used the torch, to melt it.

"Here you go, Judge."

He handed it to Morgan, who immediately squealed happily.

"Thank you, Daddy!"

"I must say, you handled that very smartly, Daddy..." Pepper murmured. Tony shrugged.

"Sometimes our lovely daughter gets like this in the lab as well, so I find it better to satisfy her curiosity within reason..."

"But what you are actually saying is you can't bear it if she's angry with you, so you show her what she wants, all the while using your technical know-how to prevent her from using something dangerous."

His face slowly crinkled into a soft smile.

"Ah Potts... do I have any secrets left from you?"

She found herself smiling.

"Honestly... I don't think so... now I don't mean to be greedy but don't I get a sample of your sweetness, Dadddyy..." She slowly moistened her lips as she looked at Tony through her lashes.

Tony blinked and then grinned widely.

"Well since you ask so nicely, how can I refuse?" He quickly melted another marshmallow and held it up. "But I'm afraid I don't have a toothpick, Pep-"

She quickly nipped it right off his hand, making sure to swipe her tongue across his fingers.

"That... was hawwttt...." Tony growled deeply, his brown eyes darkening.

She smirked, licking her lips. "I guess some of us don't need a timer to turn others on, Stark..."

"Hmmmmm..." He glanced at his watch and then surprised her by pulling her in for a quick kiss.

"Nooooo kissing please Daddy! Dessert's waiting!" Morgan's mournful wail made them break apart with laughter.

"You're right, honey, let's eat!"

* * *

**_Tony POV_ **

"The table is set, the situation tense." Tony murmured in hushed tones. "In the middle, we have the esteemed, most judicious, Judge Morgoona, the greatest food critic the world has ever seen! And in this corner!"

He gestured at the side of the table opposite to him, "Standing 5 foot 8 and weighing ... honey, what do you weigh?"

"Tony..." Pepper pursed her lips but he continued cheekily, "Judging by her eating habits, I'd say... 130? 135?"

"140 actually."

"Balderdash!"

Morgan coughed and they both looked at her in alarm.

"Pumpkin, are you alright?" He immediately touched her brow with the back of his hand. "You feel a little warm. Does your throat hurt?"

"I'm not sick, Daddy, I'm just coughing to move along the conversation." She said solemnly. "I've seen Mizz Tiedens do it, coz Mrs. LeBonz goes on and on and she talks and talks and never stops but then Mizz Tiedens coughs, just a little and I don't know how but Mrs. LeBonz stops!"

Pepper burst into laughter.

"Oh alright, alright, I can take the hint! I'll hurry it up! In one corner, we have Miss Pepper Potts, healthy, clean cooking extraordinaire and in this corner, we have Tony Stark, genius, billionaire, philanthropist and play..."

He caught himself just in time. "Playmate of Judge Stark. That's it. So Judge, whose dish do you want to try first?"

"Yours!" Morgan bounced excitedly in her chair. "Marshmallow me please!"

"As you command, Judge!" He brought a plate close to the bowl and then scooped out a generous helping of the gooey cracker-marshmallow mixture. "There!"

He placed the plate before Morgan and added a few plain crackers on the side. "My recommendation: use the crackers as your spoon!"

Morgan eyed her helping and then pouted. "Why so little, Daddy?"

"Now, now, Pumpkin, when judging food, one must not overwhelm one's taste buds. Take it slow and steady. Besides, it's really sweet. Here, Potts, you must try some too!"

He spooned some more of mixture onto another plate, topped it with crackers and then handed it to Pepper.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark." A mischievous smile played around her lips. "Should I taste it first to ensure it is safe for the Judge to consume?"

He rolled his eyes. "There is no need for that this time around, this dessert is a culinary masterpiece! Try it and see for yourself!"

"Alright. Here goes."

With bated breath, he watched Morgan and Pepper dip their crackers into the marshmallow mixture. Morgan immediately stuffed her cracker into her mouth while Pepper took a small neat bite.

"MMMMhhh! Dadmmuff..." His daughter's eyes were closed in bliss but her mouth moved comically. "Dadddyyy!"

"Tastes good, right?"

She nodded enthusiastically and then began to talk with her mouth still full.

"Is so gooey! There's mdddchocolateyy too! So yummy!"

"So you like it?"

"I love it!" Morgan immediately dipped her fingers into the mixture and then put them straight into her mouth. "Mmmmmf!"

"Now slow down, Pumpkin, there's no rush, food's not going anywhere." He carefully pushed her thick hair back from her face. "This is pretty sticky stuff, so you don't want your hair getting stuck."

Then he realized Pepper had not yet said anything and he glanced at her nervously. She was slowly chewing on the mixture, her face impassive.

"So Potts, whatdya thi..." His words trailed off as he realized her plate was completely empty. "Wow! You finished it all!"

"I know! But I just couldn't stop myself!" Pepper stared at her plate dazedly. "Tony, that was so damn good... like eating sweet sticky gooey smoosh!"

"Smoosh?"

"Fluff! Goodness!" She gestured at the marshmallow bowl. "Your creation is amazing! How did you come up with this!"

"I can't really take credit, it's Teddy's recipe, its Teddy's Brulee, I saw it on Bob's Burgers and I thought hey I have a blow torch too!"

She blinked. "Wait... I can't believe what I'm hearing... this recipe... is from a cartoon?!"

"Bob's Burgers is an animated series for adults!

"It's a cartoon for grown-ups but what's truly amazing is that you recreated a make-believe recipe... it's wonderful, it's so delicious and sweet and..." She sighed. "I want some more but I know I shouldn't!"

"Hey! Why not?"

Pepper winced. "It's really sweet, I can make out it's got a lot of calories, way over my daily limit."

She looked longingly at the bowl. "But a little more shouldn't hurt..."

"That's the spirit!" He plopped a heaped spoonful of his dessert onto her plate. "Besides, what's the harm in indulging for one day! Tomorrow, just contort yourself into one of your twisted pretzel-like yoga poses for an hour or two and all your calories are gone!"

"Tony!" Pepper sputtered with laughter. "That's not how yoga works!"

"Oh come on, you're always glowing with sweat and purpose after one of your morning sessions. All rosy pink and..." He stopped himself from saying 'eminently fuckable' just in time. But Pepper's hooded gaze and flushed cheeks indicated she knew what he was thinking.

"Anyhoo, erm... I would like to call your attention to the lovely cross-section of layers present in my dessert! See!" He pointed with a fork. "Chocolate at the bottom, cracker in the middle and then white gooey marshmallows! Doesn't it look pretty! I think the kids would call this a 'grammable' moment... if I were on Instagram, I would post this pic but I'm not, so..."

"Your layering is wonderful, Tony, especially since the layers aren't made up of solid ingredients like flour or eggs but yet they have a great firm mouthfeel and they compliment each other so well."

Pepper tilted her head to one side and smiled softly. "You really outdid yourself with this one, Tony. I'm so proud of you."

He felt his cheeks grow warm with embarrassment.

"Ah shucks, it was nothing, Pep, really, it's not even my own idea-"

"Still. It is a completely fictional recipe but you made it work and it is the perfect entry for this competition."

"Naww... hey, yeah, this is still a competition! Judge, aren't you going to have your brownie?"

Morgan, who had been eyeing his dessert bowl, dropped her fork on the table with a loud clatter.

"The brownies! I completely forgot! Mommy, brownies, please!"

"And just like that, we move on to the next entry in the competition! I'll just put this away." Tony picked up his dessert bowl and Morgan pouted.

"Daddy, I want more later!"

"Young lady," He cupped her soft cheek with one hand. "You are going to eat a nice gooey brownie covered with delicious frosting. I think that's more than enough sugar for one day."

She made a face, huffing loudly but immediately squealed with delight as Pepper set two plates on the table, each filled with neatly cut brownie squares.

"After your father's wonderfully different feast, I'm afraid my brownies will pale in comparison."

Tony opened his mouth to say something but Morgan let out another ear-piercing squeal, making them both wince.

"Two desserts! Yaaahh! This is the best day ever! Mommy, I love you!"

She immediately wrapped her little arms around Pepper's waist.

"This is a good day..." Tony gently ruffled Morgan's hair. "For everyone! Mommy gets to play hooky from work, we get to eat delicious food, what could be better?"

Morgan turned in her seat and reached for his hand, squeezing it tightly. "Our plan worked, Daddy!" She whispered loudly, her eyes sparkling. Tony immediately raised his finger to his lips but Pepper had noticed and she narrowed her eyes, her lips curving.

"So.... there was a plan underfoot... hmmmm... I'll keep that in mind... now let's eat the brownies while they are warm!"

She gently pushed a plate in front of him. There was a loud 'ding!' from the microwave and she turned.

"That's the frosting done."

Tony took one look at Morgan's bright big eyes and open mouth and correctly predicted she was going to shriek again. So he quickly clapped his hand over her mouth.

"Judge, please! Some of us are hard of hearing!"

Morgan nodded happily and he removed his hand. Pepper returned to the table with a small bowl of melted frosting. With a spoon, she carefully poured the liquid frosting onto Morgan's plate, coating the warm brownie with gooey sauce. Their daughter squirmed and fidgeted in her seat, letting out little squeals of happiness.

"Here you go, Judge!"

Pepper straightened and came over to his side, holding up the bowl.

"I saved some frosting for you, Mr. Stark."

"Why thank you kindly, Miss Potts!"

He rubbed his hands with delight as she poured some frosting onto his brownie.

"Bon Appetit! I hope you guys like it!"

Using his fork, he cut off an edge of the brownie, dipped it into the frosting pooling around the plate and then bit into it. The delicious crumbly sweetness made him see stars and he moaned loudly.

"Mr. Stark," Pepper smirked. "Please refrain from making bedroom noises!"

"Mfgh cnnt... iss so goood!" He swallowed and let out a sigh of contentment. "It's so sweet, I really can't believe this isn't sugar!"

Giggling cutely, Pepper leaned against him and pushed his hair back from his forehead, so he shifted his chair sideways and quickly pulled her onto his knee.

"Tony!"

"Potts, you crazy health-nut genius, you!"

Setting his fork down, he wrapped his arms around her.

"I take it you like the brownie-"

He cut her off with a soft smooch, making her smile against his lips.

"Wow, you really liked it!"

"I love it, Pepper!"

A loud muffled squeal made them both look at Morgan. With her cheeks liberally smeared with chocolate frosting and her bright eyes focused on the plate before her, she was the epitome of sugar-induced blissfulness.

"Looks like the Judge loves it too!"

"It's a good thing I tied her hair up..." Pepper whispered absently.

"Yeah, she really went face first. Now back to you, Chef..."

They had just resumed their soft smooching, when suddenly a powerful vibration rushed through them both, making him stiffen with arousal.

"What the fuck was that?" Pepper whispered, her big blue eyes searching his.

"I don't know but it felt awesome!" He clutched her tightly against him and much to his delight, it happened again.

"Oh, that's my phone!"

"Oh yeah... your phone... for a second there, I thought..." he felt his cheeks grow warm at his ridiculous assumption.

"The look on your face is priceless... why, what did you think?" Pepper murmured, her lips curving. "That I can make myself vibrate?"

Tony shrugged sheepishly and she burst into giggles.

"Why don't we just enjoy the vibrations and not pick up the call..."

He gasped teasingly. "Pepper Potts ignoring a call! Oh my! How naughty!"

"Shush, Stark."

She pressed her lips to his, winding her fingers in his hair until Friday's monotonic voice said, "Mrs. Stark. There's an urgent phone call for you." 

Pepper immediately lifted her head.

"Who is it, Friday?"

"It's a Miss Tiedens, calling from Parkview Academy for-"

"MizzTiedens!" Morgan squealed happily.

"It's Morgan's teacher!" Pepper quickly pulled her phone out of her jeans pocket. "Hello!"

Tony could hear someone talking but he couldn't understand what was being said.

"Yes, we're perfectly fine! Oh, you were worried! But... oh I see! Yes, Morgan has been offline for quite a while..." Pepper looked at Tony.

"Wi-Fi issue!" He hissed and she repeated, "We were experiencing some network connectivity issues but that's all fixed now, Morgan should be online shortly... what's that... oh..."

Pepper glanced sideways at Morgan, who was finishing off her brownie.

"A sing-along competition? Morgan's team is up? Really? I had no idea-"

Morgan gasped loudly. "Oh no! I forgot! Got to go!" She pushed her chair back and shuffled off it, picking up her plate.

"She'll be there shortly, Miss Tiedens." Pepper smiled.

Tony watched with amusement as Morgan darted to the kitchen sink.

"I'll help her wash up." He whispered and Pepper got off his lap, still talking on the phone.

""Yes, you're right, she is very fond of singing...thank you so much, Miss Tiedens, for reminding us and for being so concerned about Morgan. I appreciate it. Take care."

"Daddy, daddy, quickly!" Morgan bounced up and down with impatience as he rushed to the sink and turned the tap on.

"Alright, Pumpkin, don't worry, let's get those hands and face clean!"

He helped her wash up and then Pepper came over with a towel.

"I gotta sing! I gotta sing! Yaaaah! Today's the best day ever!" Morgan danced excitedly on the spot, rubbing her hands on the towel. "Mommy, done! Let me go!"

"Hey wait a minute!" Tony gently tapped her shoulder. "You must pass your judgement!"

Morgan scrunched up her face with confusion and he said gently, "Who wins the cooking competition, oh mighty Judge?"

"Oh! Oooohhh!" She blinked. "Well... Daddy, your dessert was amazing!"

Counting off on her fingers, Morgan continued, "So sweet and chocolaty and you used marshmallows! My favorite! So you get all five points!"

She triumphantly held up her hand, waggling her fingers. Then she turned to Pepper.

"Mommy, your pasta was amazing too! You used cheeseburgers! My favorite! And it was soft and cheesy and..." She glanced sideways at him, nibbling on her lip. "It was much better than Daddy's chicken, sorry Daddy!"

"I have no counter for that..."

"So... Mommy gets all five points and you get all five points, so..." She smiled cutely, looking between them. "You both win! Yaah! Now I gotta run! Gotta sing!"

Squealing loudly with delight, Morgan rushed out of the kitchen, leaving them both staring at each other with bemusement. They could hear Morgan singing loudly as she climbed up the stairs to her room.

Tony shouted, "Honey, what about the Wi-Fi?"

"I know how to fix it, Daddy!"

He shrugged, looking at Pepper. "Humph... a tie... that was a bit anti-climatic, wasn't it?"

She sighed. "Well, it's all over now, I guess... and the good thing is that, Morgan will finally get a hair cut with your persuasion and..." She looked away, nibbling on her bottom lip.

He caught her chin in his hand and gently made her look back at him, noticing her faint blush with pleasure.

"And I get my playdate! You and me... alone, together... for a whole day! No meetings, no work, no calls! Just some Pepper-and-Tony time! Pepperony Playdate!"

She burst into giggles and he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"The things we are going to do! Or rather I am going to do! To you!"

"Alright, Stark, alright, you got me. For your... playdate..." Pepper smiled.

"But unfortunately the question of who is the better cook, still goes unanswered."

"That's true but we don't know how long I'm going to be working from home." She grinned cheekily. "There is plenty of time for a rematch."

"Yes! A rematch! With some ground rules! We'll plan it out properly. But now I'll help you clean up." He walked back to the table and picked up a plate. "We got a lot of leftovers here-"

The soft tap on his shoulder made him pause. Then Pepper was right behind him, her soft curves pressing up against his back.

"Leftovers can wait." She murmured, softly and seductively, sending a shiver of sensual excitement rushing through him. "I got some questions for you, Stark."

He slowly put down the plate and turned to face the bright gleam in her blue eyes. She placed her hands on either side of him, effectively pinning him against the table.

"Now that we are all alone..." She looked at him through her lashes. "I want to know about this... plan of yours..."

"Erm... ah..."

It was so difficult to speak because of the way Pepper was pressing every inch of her long seductive self against him. She took a deep breath, making her breasts swell against his chest in a very arousing manner and he whimpered.

"Mr. Stark..." her pink tongue swiped across her lips slowly. "I'm waiting."

"There was no plan, Potts, Morgan was just... using a... a figure of speech!"

Her lush pink lips curved deviously.

"Reallly?" She batted her delicate lashes. "So why were you so..." Her face came closer to his, her warm breath drifting over his neck. ""Nervous when she mentioned it?"

"I wasn't nervous! I was just... I...." He trailed off, closing his eyes with pleasure as Pepper's soft fingers wound through his hair, slowly, teasingly, massaging his scalp.

"You..." She nuzzled his face. "You were just what? Say it, Stark."

"Nothing... really to say..." Another hard tremble racked his body, his toes curling as her lips tenderly grazed his cheek.

"Oh really?" She growled low in her throat and then much to his delighted surprise, his head was gently pulled back.

"Potts!"

Her hot moist mouth slowly moved along his jaw and then lowered.

"I'm afraid your timer won't be able to save you this time, Stark." Her lips teasingly nipped his throat.

"But! But... Morgan?"

"Is upstairs and very occupied with her classmates. So she won't save you either, hot stuff."

He was so distracted by what her mouth was doing, that he barely registered his shirt being unbuttoned until those soft fingers caressed his chest.

"I know you were upto something, Stark, so tell me what it was."

All his blood rushed to his throbbing crotch as Pepper trailed her fingers slowly along his stomach. One slender finger traced the outline of his belly button and he wriggled desperately in place.

"You're imagining things, Potts!"

"Come on, Tony..." She lightly bit his collarbone, sending a powerful surge arousal through him.

"Alright, alright! I'll admit it! I arranged this competition just to get you to take a break!"

Pepper leaned back slightly. Much to his disappointment, she removed her hand from beneath his shirt.

"Really... now why did you feel you needed to do such a thing?"

"Well! Because you never left your office! Except to eat lunch and dinner! And the moment you finished eating, you would rush back! It isn't healthy, Potts! You were even skipping your early morning yoga sessions!" He wagged his eyebrows. "Shame on you, Potts!"

She nibbled on her lip, looking at him through her lashes shyly. "Oh shit... even you noticed... but how? Usually you're fast asleep, snoring contentedly when I exercise..."

"I may be asleep but I know when you leave the bed and I definitely know when you return... you have a shower and you climb back into the bed.. with your cup of coffee..."

"Oh my god, Tony!" Pepper burst into laughter.

"It's nice, you're all warm and soft and smelling like an angel, a coconutty tropical angel and then you cuddle up against me until it is time to wake Morgan up! I love that!"

"But lately you haven't been doing that!" He folded his arms across his chest, glaring, making her laugh even harder. "Lately, you've been getting up late, well... late by your standards and then, you just leave in a rush and I never see you again until lunch time, you stay holed up in your office for hours and..."

He trailed off with a shrug and an indignant huff. Pepper gently pushed his hair off his brow, her blue eyes twinkling.

"So you miss having me around, huh?"

"Well, yeah and not just me, Morgan misses you too!"

She sighed heavily.

"I know... she misses her friends, her teachers, going outdoors, the playground... staying indoors all the time, staring a screen all, it's getting to her..."

"Not just here, Petey, I mean Spiderman... he's struggling too..."

"What's the matter with Mr. Parker?"

"His Aunt May won't let him leave the house..." He chuckled. "Kid's climbing up the walls with his spider suit on..."

"Wow, Tony, you've been so busy rescuing me and Morgan from the quarantine blues..." She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"And Peter too, I removed the tracking device in his spidey-suit..."

"You take such good care of us, Mr. Stark..." Pepper gently kissed his forehead and then his nose.

"Soooo..." He felt tingles rush through all the way from head to toe as she continued pressing soft kisses all over his face. "I take it you aren't mad?"

She touched her forehead to his, smiling against his cheek.

"Of course not, Tony, I am just amused that you came up with such a scheme, just to get me to take a break.... but I'm so glad that you did. I'll admit, that if you would have asked me to take a break, I wouldn't have listened to you. But now... I realize that I did need a break and so did Morgan... so thank you. Thank you for thinking of me... and caring for me so much..."

"Say, I got an idea on how you can thank me for all my efforts..."

"Oh really? Pray tell..."

"Well, Madam Morgoona is busy with school... and you don't have work to do-"

"I do have work, Tony."

"Well, you've been AWOL for a while, why don't you can extend your absence a little longer and you and me have a mini-playdate right now..."

She slowly moistened her lips, moving her tongue slowly over them. "'What an interesting idea, Mr. Stark..."

He pressed his lips to hers and then she deepened the kiss, winding her fingers into his hair. He moved his hands down the long curve of her back and then cupped her pert butt in both hands, holding her tightly against him. Pepper uttered a low moan, arousing him even further and he fumbled around, trying to unbutton her shorts.

Then her phone rang loudly, making them spring apart with shock.

"What the hell?!"

Pepper shoved her hand into her shorts and pulled out her phone.

"Oh crap, it's Miss Garrett!"

"Another one of Morgan's teachers?!"

"No, no, it's the head of the HR team!" She lifted the phone to her ear and stepped away from him. "Hello Dolores!"

"Oh, they finally realized you are missing from your chair-"

Pepper gently but firmly placed her palm on his lips, cutting him off.

"I'm perfectly fine! Yes, I am not online, I'm afraid there was a network outage in our area and then I was facing problems with the Wi-Fi." She lied smoothly, making him giggle. "Everything is fine now. Oh... the performance goal setting review... that's today? I completely forgot!"

Tony immediately was filled with sadness. _Crap... there goes our mini Pepperony playdate..._

Pepper looked at him sideways.

"Yes, I'll be there! Thank you for reminding me, Dolores, I really appreciate it! Alright, I'll talk to you then. Goodbye."

She lowered the phone quietly, her eyes downcast.

"So I guess that means you gotta go, huh..." He shoved his hands into his pockets, trying hard not to grumble. "Cool, I'll clean up here. You can go on ahead."

"Well... the meeting is at 3:30... and it's just 2:15..." Pepper smiled slowly. "There's definitely time for some afternoon delight..."

Much to his delighted surprise, she squeezed his butt hard.

"You've been teasing me all day, sweet cheeks. I've seen your culinary skills, now I'd like to test your lovemaking skills... are you up for it?"

He immediately took her hand and pulled her towards him, kissing her hard.

"Your office or mine?"

Her fingers nimbly undid the buttons of his shirt.

"Mine... or here... here's fine enough... now get your pants off, Stark!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tune in tomorrow for a three-part Christmas special.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a show of good faith, here's the first part of my Pepperony Xmas Special.

* * *

**10th Dec 11 pm**

"A new variant of SARS-CoV-2 t is said to be even more transmissible-"

"Cancelled international flights leave many travelers stranded over the holid-"

"Britain imposes strict no-socializing restrictions over Xmas-"

"US tops 18 million COVID-19 cases-"

Tony doggedly kept pressing the remote, flipping through channels with rapid speed. After spending most of the evening, upgrading his nanobyte gauntlets, he had switched on the TV to relax.

"Good grief, is there nothing but COVID to talk about?" He muttered as he rubbed his tired eyes.

"And in other world news, France and Germany enter a second cautionary lockdown as cases suddenly rise in-"

"Okay, that's it."

He switched the TV off and leaned back in his chair with a loud sigh.

"It's the end of the world as we know it... yes, it's the end of the world as we know it..."

"Daddy, is it really the end of the world?" A soft voice murmured from somewhere in the darkness.

He turned around in his seat and sure enough, there was his little girl sitting solemnly on the basement stairs.

"Morgan, honey!" He quickly stood up and walked towards her. "What are you doing down here?"

"I thought I'd come down and keep you company, Daddy." She was smiling brightly but the sadness in her big brown eyes, caught his attention.

"That's really sweet of you, pumpkin but it's very late..." He squatted on his haunches and caught one of her tiny hands in his. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

Morgan immediately drew her bottom lip into her mouth and began nibbling on it.

"Okay, what's the matter?" He held out his arms and she rushed into them, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"It's silly..."

"Hey, hey now... you know you can tell me anything, pumpkin..." He gently petted her soft head of hair but Morgan just burrowed herself further into his neck, refusing to look at him.

Tony couldn't help but smile.

_I know how I can persuade her to talk..._

Out loud, he said softly, "Are you up for a secret mission, Agent Morgoona?"

Morgan immediately leaned back in his embrace and looked at him curiously.

"A mission?"

"Yes... a dangerous mission to obtain some delicious late-night snacks!"

"Yaaah! Provide imtellijelly report please!"

He chuckled. "Very well. There is a covert top-secret base above ground. Assets include delicious chocolate-chip cookies, peanut butter chocolate bars and... hmmm... let's see... maybe some MnM's, cake, all sorts of goodies!"

"Wow!" Morgan scrunched up her face cutely. "What about danger! Dangerous... things... "

"Threats? Great question. The only real threat is the ultra-smart uber-tough Virginia 'Pepper' Potts aka-"

"Mommy." Morgan primly nodded. "Mommy always says no snacking after dinner."

"But we can evade her... if we are quiet and sneaky... she will never know... whadya say, good buddy? Are you up for this dangerous mission?"

"Yes! Let's go!" 

"Alright!" He stood up, holding onto her tightly. "To Snacks! And beyond!"

Tony opened the basement door and began to walk up the stairs.

"Daddy, shouldn't we suit up?"

"Honestly partner, we don't need to... suits are useless against the Great Potts."

"Really?"

"Truly. Your mother has destroyed a number of suits over the years. One day, I'll tell you all about each one of them."

"Tell me now!"

They reached the top of the stairs and Tony looked at Morgan.

"But now we are on a mission. So we gotta hush-hush. You ready?"

Tony raised his finger to his lips and Morgan cutely imitated him, nodding solemnly. He slowly slid open the connecting door and crept into the hallway, looking around cautiously.

"Agent Morgoona, this is Iron Man." He whispered in her ear. "We are in the facility. Do you copy?"

"Daddy, shush!" Morgan placed her hand over his mouth. "We have to be quiet, remember!"

"Yeah, yeah, I read you. Coast is clear! Let's proceed towards the danger zone, shall we?" 

Quietly, they tread across the carpet, approaching the kitchen. 

"What's the sitch, partner?" 

"I can't see much, Daddy, the lights are off."

"Entering zone in 5 clicks."

Morgan absently tugged at his hair. "What's a click, Daddy?"

"It's a... figure of distance used in action movies, okay here we are. Can you reach the lights, good buddy?"

"Yes, Daddy!" The light switch came on with a loud click and he winced. But not a sound was to be heard.

"We made it!" 

"But shush! We aren't in the safe zone yet! Let's extract the goods and go!"

"I want a cookie! No, I want a candy bar and a cookie! No, wait... I want two cookies and a candy bar and some jelly!"

"Now, partner, let's not go overboard-"

Suddenly the peaceful silence was disturbed by a loud strange noise.

Morgan caught his face. "Daddy, what's that?" 

"Good question... where is it coming from?" 

Again, the strange rumbling noise was heard and he looked sideways at the dark shadowy depths of the living room.

"Daddy, is it a new enemy who wasn't in the intellijelly report?"

"Why don't we take a look-see? Or do you want to stay here?"

"No, I wanna see! Down please."

"Why?" 

"Coz we need to fight, Daddy and you can't fight when you is carrying me."

Touched by her thoughtfulness, he kissed her soft cheek and she giggled.

"Good thinking, partner. Down you go."

He carefully lowered her to the ground. She took his hand and together, they stepped into the living room. The rumbling noise grew louder as they approached the sofa and he felt Morgan clutch at his legs tightly. 

"Honey, it's okay, I'm here with you. Should we turn on the lights?"

"No! I don't want to scare it away!"

Tony had a sneaky suspicion about the noise's origin but he didn't want to ruin the surprise for Morgan. So he gently nudged her closer to the sofa. 

"Daddy, I can't see anything!" 

"Okay then, just let me..." He tapped his nano arc and a gentle blue light appeared, illuminating the dark area.

On the sofa, lay Pepper, absolutely fast asleep, curled up into a little ball, clutching her laptop against her chest tightly. They watched as she daintily opened her mouth and emitted another loud rumbling snore.

This made them both giggle.

"Mommy's fast asleep!" 

"Yup... the most dangerous enemy on the intelligence report, is fast asleep... there's a twist you don't see coming... but this is good. Threat neutralized... for now." 

Morgan slowly clambered onto the sofa and looked curiously at slumbering Pepper.

"Daddy, this isn't Mommy's bed! Why is Mommy sleeping here?"

"Well, pumpkin, your mother often forgets that she is human and needs to rest. So when she works too long and too hard, her body decides to rest without asking her. And that means she falls asleep in random places."

"Poor Mommy..." Morgan gently patted Pepper's hand.

"Yeah... she needs watching... well, should we leave our extraction mission and instead, help Mommy get to bed? A rescue mission of sorts... "

"Yess!" Morgan cheered loudly but immediately covered her mouth in horror. Luckily Pepper did not wake up.

"Let's quietly, carefully, slowly, take your mom upstairs. Are you ready?"

Morgan nodded, her hand still over her mouth. Tony tapped his Arc and whispered, "Chest piece only!"

As his armor covered his chest, he knelt and slowly wriggled one hand under Pepper's back and the other behind her knees. Then he gently lifted her off the sofa. With a little murmur, Pepper rested her head in the crook of his neck, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"Maiden is in my arms. Agent Morgoona, please lead the way to the bedroom."

"Yes, Daddy!"

They left the living room and climbed up the stairs, Tony doing his best not to jostle the sleeping Pepper.

"I'll open the door, Daddy." Morgan rushed ahead on the landing, towards their bedroom.

"Thanks, pumpkin."

He followed her at a slower pace and then entered the bedroom. Bending at the waist, he carefully laid the still snoring Pepper on their bed. Morgan neatly drew the blanket over her and began to tuck her in. When she was done, Tony took her hand and turned off the lights.

After closing the bedroom door behind them, he whispered, "Well, that was a very successful mission if I do say so myself. Whadya think, partner?"

"It was a good mission!" Morgan yawned loudly. "Can we have a cheeseburger to celebrate?"

He quickly picked his daughter up. 

"Good idea but before we celebrate, let's have a retrospective in the mission briefing room!" 

Cradling Morgan in his arms, he entered her bedroom and gently laid her on her bed.

"But Daddy!" Morgan immediately sat up, pouting. "I don't wanna sleep!" 

He sat down on the bed and then fluffed up the pillows.

"But pumpkin, we aren't sleeping, we are having a mission retrospective..."

Then he lay back against them, folding his arms behind his head. "Oh, this is so soft and lovely!"

Morgan scrunched up her nose suspiciously. "Does re...to... ective mean sleeping?"

"Retrospective. No, it doesn't... but... well, to be honest, once Fury starts talking, it could easily turn into a snooze fest but hey, it's me! Don't worry, I won't bore you to sleep!"

He patted the bedspace by his side.

"Now why don't you come lie down here and get comfortable."

"Alright but first, I need my teddy bears!"

Morgan quickly clambered off the bed and rushed over to the brightly-colored shelf in the other corner of her bedroom.

"Do you need my help?"

"Daddy, just catch!"

Without warning, a solid soft mass hit him squarely in the face and he yelped. Morgan burst into giggles.

"Big Boy is sorry! Sorry, daddy!"

"Humph!" Tony took a long hard look at the large grinning teddy bear with spectacles and a little beret. "I accept your apology, Mr. ... Morgan, why is he named Big Boy?"

"Cause he's the biggest bear, Daddy! And here's Ozzie and Georgie!"

Two more soft toys were pushed into his arms and then Morgan clambered onto the bed, smiling widely. She lay down, arranged the teddy bears around her and then snuggled up against his side.

"All set, Daddy!"

He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer to him.

"Shit, this is damn cozy... I mean..." Tony winced. "Okay, that was a bad word... two bad words... don't use those words, until you are an adult... and never ever use them around your mother..."

"Don't worry, Daddy, they'll be our secret words... only yours and mine..." She said with a soft loving smile, that made his throat catch.

"Ahem... well, I'd like to start the retrospective by saying... you are the best mission partner I've ever had."

"Really? Even better than Capn America?"

"Definitely better than Captain Icicles in his Pants!"

"But Daddy, he's so pretty!"

Tony nearly fell off the bed with shock.

Morgan continued innocently, "Capn America looks like the prince from the bedtime story Mommy reads to me... the one where... mmm... there's a princess in the sea and she has a tail and her daddy won't let her marry the pretty prince because she's a... a..."

"Mermaid..." He gently pushed her hair back from her face. "Her daddy's not a bad guy, pumpkin, he's just trying to keep her safe from the unknown."

"Yeah, Mommy told me that... King..." She scrunched her face up. "Kneep...tune loves Ariel very much, so he's just being a daddy, he's just being protective... just like you are!"

That made him smile.

"Your mom said that, huh? Well... she isn't wrong..." He kissed her cheek. "I love you and your mom very very much and I can't bear anything happening to either of you."

"Daddy! Your beard!" Morgan squirmed against him, giggling. "It tickles!"

"Sorry, sorry, you're so cute and soft and koochie..." He nuzzled her even more and she squealed. Then they lay together quietly, looking up at the bedroom ceiling in a comfortable silence.

"Daddy..." Morgan said hesitantly. "Do you know any stories where... someone saves Christmas?"

"Saves... Xmas... hmmmm... Jack Skellington? But wait, Jack created the mess in the first place... he thought he could take Santa's place and that Halloween Town would take over Xmas but of course, everything goes horribly wrong and then he finds out that his minions sold Santa to the Oogie Boogie Man and then Jack has to go save Santa and..."

Tony propped himself up sideways on the pillow and looked into his daughter's big brown eyes.

"Honey, what's the matter?"

"It's nothing, Daddy..." She wouldn't look at him, so he gently tapped her chin.

"Talk to me, partner... what's on your mind? Who needs saving? Is it Santa?"

"Maybe... well... it's like this..." She turned sideways, clutching her big teddy bear. "We are supposed to stay at home and not meet a lot of new people... so how will Santa visit us this Xmas?"

"Erm..." He stuck his tongue in his cheek. "Well... erm..."

Morgan sat up.

"Miss Tiedens said we have to practice social distancing to stay safe! If Santa goes from door to door visiting kids, he's bound to fall sick and I don't want that! I don't want Santa to get sick, Daddy..." Morgan said mournfully. "I want my present, I've been a good girl but I don't want Santa to fall sick!"

"Morgan honey, don't worry about Santa alright. He'll... stay safe and get the job done."

He winced at his own lame answer.

"Really?" She cutely folded her arms across her chest, her brow furrowed with confusion. "How, Daddy?"

He found himself smiling. _Ah, my Morgan really is a mini-Pepper Potts at heart..._

"Santa's a smart guy! He's been doing this for years! I'm sure he's got his COVID safety measures in place."

"That is true... but maybe... maybe Santa shouldn't do it all on his own this year... maybe he needs some help..." His daughter yawned loudly and snuggled up against him. "Coz I know that if he can't come to see me, it's okay... you and Mommy will help him out."

"Oh, for sure."

"But the world is so big and there are a lot of kids! And they all are waiting for their Xmas gifts..." She yawned again, rubbing her eyes. "Santa can't let them all down... but he's got to take care of himself too." 

The thought of children sitting forlornly under an empty Christmas tree, filled him with sadness.

"I was just thinking about Santa and that's why I couldn't sleep... so I came down to see you, Daddy..." Morgan sleepily blinked through her curtain of chestnut hair. "Can you think of something to help Santa? Please?"

The innocent faith in her eyes, made his heart clench. "Yeah... I can... come up with something... to help Santa... surely I can..."

Morgan smiled and then yawned again.

"Honey, why don't you lie down? You seem... tired."

"Okay but I don't wanna sleep. Can you tell me the story, Daddy?"

"Which one, pumpkin? The mermaid one?" He placed his hand on her shoulder and gently urged her to lie down.

"No... the one where someone saves Santa." She blinked sleepily. "Mr. Jack. He saves Santa. I want to hear that story please. Please Daddy."

"Alright. Did you know there is a magical town for each festival? Christmas Town and Thanksgiving Town and even one for Halloween! Our story begins on the night of Halloween, where every resident of Halloween Town is anxiously waiting for the Pumpkin King to make an appearance!"

He continued for another minute until he was sure that Morgan was fast asleep. Then he slowly crept out of her bed and then tucked her blanket around her securely.

"Good night, sweet Morgoona..." he whispered as he turned off the light. He waited with bated breath but thankfully, Morgan did not awaken.

"Friday, Friday!" Tony whispered into his watch. "Quiet voice! I want you to wake me up at 9, no 10! Maybe 10:30! Tomorrow!"

"AM, Sir?"

"Yes, AM!"

He quietly opened his bedroom door and snuck into the room. "Tomorrow we have to devise our strategy!"

"Very well, Mr. Stark."

"Clear all my other meetings!" He slowly climbed into his bed. "We have to come up with something quick! We have only fifteen days!"

"You did not have any meetings scheduled, Sir."

"Very good." He pulled his blanket up over him and immediately a soft warm hand snaked around his torso. He felt Pepper's long leg slip between his and then her sleep-warm curves pressed into his back.

"Hmmmm... Tony..." she murmured sleepily, her breath drifting over his neck. "Cold..."

"I'm right here, Big Spoon..." he snuggled back up against her.

"Where... where were you..."

"I gotta a plan..." he slowly stroked her hand against his waist. "But I can't tell you yet, Potts... because you'll worry and I got to get things started, got to think things through..."

"Mmmpph..." Pepper squirmed even closer, burying her face in his hair as she cuddled him closer. "Too sleepy... don't go anywhere now... need you here..."

"Don't worry, Potts... I'm not going anywhere. Good night."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The premise of this Special was inspired by my good friend, itismarvelicious' post https://itismarvelicious.tumblr.com/post/632250648885395456/i-just-want-a-marvel-what-if-where-tony 
> 
> Tune in next week for the second part.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know Xmas is over and my fic is still not over but bear with me please.

**12th Dec 01:00 pm**

Pepper bustled about the kitchen, tidying away things, with her laptop resting on the counter. The monthly Stark Corporation All Hands meeting was in full swing but instead of paying attention, she kept looking at the steel-enforced door that led down to the basement.

The basement was located two whole floors below the house, with multiple layers of concrete in the middle, so that Tony could perform his experiments without disturbing the occupants of the main house. That's why she was curious about the faint rumbling sensation beneath her feet.

She walked towards the gas stove and placed her palm on the wall. She could still feel the faint tremor and that stoked her curiosity.

Pepper turned back towards her laptop.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm afraid there is an urgent family matter I must attend to. Please continue without me. Goodbye."

Before the audience could react, she disconnected from the company server and shut her laptop.

"I have to urgently find out what my inventive husband is up to."

She walked to the basement door and punched in her security code.

"Friday, please override security protocol '52AlertMeT'. Mr. Stark should not be notified of my approach."

"Very well, Miss Potts. I feel I must inform you that the sound level in the basement, is 120 decibels, so the probability of Mr. Stark hearing you at all, is next to zero."

"That's good. Thanks for letting me know, Friday."

She slipped her shoes off and then pushed open the door. The tremor grew in strength as she tip-toed down the stairs. She reached the bottom and slowly pushed opened the basement door.

Immediately, her ears were assaulted by a cacophony of noise, coming from multiple sources. There was a loud whirring noise interspersed with the sound of a drill being operated, while rock music played loudly in the background. She winced and covered her ears with her hands as she moved forward.

A number of metal cabinets and drawers had been pushed close to the door, obscuring her view. Abandoning all pretense of stealth, she made her way through the maze of furniture and stopped short when she saw Tony sitting on the floor, surrounded by numerous tools and wires.

He was using an electric drill on what seemed like a tall shiny pole with a protruding mechanical arm. At the workstation behind him, one of his robot assistants was neatly assembling something, using small pieces of wood. The other robot assistant whirred and chirruped as it moved across the basement, holding a large sack.

"Dum E, stop whining about the stuffing and start working!" Tony roared over the drill. Then he suddenly stopped the instrument.

"What the fuckety fuck!"

Immediately, the robot in motion dropped the sack and much to Pepper's amusement, picked up the fire extinguisher and rushed towards Tony.

"Dum E! Don't you dare! Stand down, man!"

Tony carefully placed the drill on the floor. Then he pushed his protective goggles onto his forehead and pushed his fingers through his hair with a loud sign.

"Fuck and fuck and fuck! How could I make such a mistake!"

Pepper silently observed him from behind the cupboard, trying her best not to giggle.

_Well, all this noise definitely explains the tremor... Mr. Stark up to something with his drill... Tony's so adorable when he's in mechanic man mode... so cute with his hair sticking up in little grey-black tufts and of course, there's grease all over his hands and his... his black vest... the one he always wears when he's working with his tools... his tight tattered faithful vest that clings to his broad chest oh so nicely... leaving his arms bare... strong bronzed arms and those wide callused fingers and oh my! Look at those biceps bulge and flex... shit, I've forgotten how nice it is to watch Mr. Stark in the garage... especially when he gets all sweaty and greasy..._

The object of her attention shifted, squatting back on his haunches, making his delectably taut ass strain against his faded jeans. Pepper had to control herself from sighing out loud with pleasure.

_There's a sight that never gets old... Tony Stark's best side... I really should sneak up on him more often, when he's down here..._

"Crap! Now I have to..." He picked up a spanner. "Undo this and... turn! Shit, that's tight!"

Suddenly he looked over his shoulder and she quickly darted behind a large cabinet, hoping he hadn't seen her.

"YOU, how you holding up? Wow, that dollhouse is looking good! Really professional! But you gotta pick up the pace, buddy, we need to finish at least 10 pieces by evening."

He absently scratched his cheek with the spanner, seemingly deep in thought.

"Was it ten... or twenty... I need to recheck the list but I think we have to make ten and then we can start painting... wait a min! Dum E!"

The robot that had been zooming around, came to a screeching halt.

"Since you haven't started with the bears, you might as well help YOU out with the dollhouses! Start painting on the double, man!"

_Dollhouse? Bears? List?_ Pepper was filled with confusion. _What's Tony upto?_

The robot began to squeak loudly but Tony picked up his drill and resumed working. She took advantage of this, to quietly move position, so that she could remain hidden.

"Dum E, I'm very serious!" Tony suddenly yelled, over the loud noise of the drill. "I want you to start painting the houses! In pastel colors! Each house should be a different color!"

The robot mournfully chirped and he looked back at it impatiently. "The brushes are in the cabinet over there!"

He pointed in Pepper's direction and she ducked out of sight. The robot slowly came towards her, still chirping softly. As it opened the cabinet, it glanced sideways and looked straight at her. She raised her finger to her lips and it beeped softly. Then it took out two brushes from the cabinet, closed it and wheeled away.

She breathed a sigh of relief and peeked out from her hiding place. The music had resumed, with one new addition: Tony singing along.

"Once I rose above the noise and confusion!

Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion!

I was soaring ever higher-"

Then his phone began to ring but because of the noise, Tony remained oblivious and just continued to sing loudly and off-key.

"Though my eyes could see, I still was a blind man!

Though my mind could think, I still was a mad man!

I hear the voices when I'm dreaming!

I can hear them say!"

Suddenly, the music was cut off, replaced by an obnoxious ear-ringing beep, that made them both wince.

"Friday! What the hell!"

"Mr. Stark, you have an incoming call."

"Oh! Let it through, please!"

As he tapped his watch, the music came back on and Bruce Banner's face appeared on the wall-mounted screen.

"Talk to me, Banner!"

Bruce opened his mouth but he could not be heard clearly over the blaring music and Dum E's loud whirring noises.

Tony stood up and clapped his hands. "Okay Friday, turn the music off! Dum E, can it!"

Once the noises had stopped, he walked towards the screen.

"Now I can hear you! Go ahead, good buddy."

"Tony..." Bruce exhaled heavily and then looked around evasively. "Okay, I googled a lot and I mean a lot but there's nothing concrete out there, apparently the exact chemical formula is a closely-guarded industry secret but I manage to get a few details, some of the base chemicals used, a rough estimate of quantities needed. So I did my calculations, came up with a composition and tried it out..."

He trailed off with a shrug. There was pin-drop silence as Tony wiped his spanner and then his hands, using the same oil-stained rag. Pepper sighed inwardly.

"Well... what happened, Banner?"

"It... it all stayed together for about five seconds and then it melted into a pool of resin..." Bruce slowly lifted a wire-frame figure into view. "So this is all I have left, after two days of hard work."

Tony snorted with laughter and then immediately covered his mouth.

Bruce sighed tiredly. "Tony, I'm clearly not cut out for this job... I think you should find someone with experience... with the right know-how... I don't know, man, anyone but me..."

"Oh come on, Banner! You are the one of the brightest men in the known universe! Along with me!"

"Yeah, in the field of physics! Not how to make Barbie dolls! Look at this, Tony!" He pushed the figurine up against the screen. "The resin melted right off... like something from a movie! You can still see clumps of it sticking to the wires!"

"Banner, Banner, Banner-"

"Don't you Banner me!"

"Now listen, Brucey, it's just one minor setback, you gotta keep trying!"

Bruce shoved his fingers into his hair. "Can't we switch toys? You take the dolls, I'll make their houses!"

"But I already got my assembly line set up!" Tony gestured at the robots behind him. "We have made a house or two... they just need to be painted-"

At that very moment, his phone began to ring and the words 'Spiderling calling' appeared on the screen.

"Bruce, it's the Kid, I'll add him in our call."

Peter Parker's smiling face appeared alongside Bruce's.

"Hey Mr. Stark! How you doing? Wait, I didn't mean to say that, how are you? What are you upto?"

"Hey Petey! I was just talking to Bruce here and I think you may be able to help us!"

"Bruce? Oh, do you mean Dr. Banner? He's on the call too?!" Peter looked around wildly. "Hello Doctor! It's been a long time! How are you?"

"I'm good, Peter." Bruce muttered, rubbing his eyes.

"Bruce, I think Peter can help you with your problem, I think the two of you should work together and come up with a solution for the... eh... Bruce, explain!"

"How the heck do I make a Barbie doll, whose face won't melt the minute I remove it from the mould?" Bruce said mournfully.

Peter winced. "I... I really don't know, honestly I don't have much experience with... with dolls... I'm more of a Lego guy myself..."

Bruce wagged his eyebrows meaningfully at Tony who immediately retorted, "Come on, guys, we need to make dolls, we can't have doll houses without dolls! Think of the little girls!"

"Actually Mr. Stark, most dollhouse sets do not come with dolls, they just have a lot of teeny-tiny furniture... I know this coz Himari always plays with her cute pink dollhouse on the stairs, she's my neighbor's kid, such a sweet girl... hey! Wait a minute! What if I borrow one of Himari's Barbie dolls and do a composition analysis! Ned's got a lot of chemistry stuff! Doctor Banner, that could help us find out what these dolls are made of!"

"That... would help..." Bruce scratched his chin thoughtfully. "We could get a percentage-wise breakup of elements... and once I have the ingredients, I could replicate the formula... not a bad idea. Oh and just call me Bruce please."

"See, you guys are thinking together already! This is good!"

"Mr. Stark, can we make a dollhouse for Himari? She's always been nice to me and she leaves little Japanese sweets out for Spider-Man... which is me but she doesn't know that..."

"Sure, Petey, just add her and her address to the list. Once you two work out the Barbie doll formula-"

"Whoa, whoa!" Bruce raised his hand in warning. "We are not making Barbie dolls! Those things are copyright protected assets and I do not want Mattel to come after me for making counterfeits of their toys!"

Tony face-palmed, making Peter giggle loudly. "Banner.... buddy... we aren't making Barbie dolls. We are simply using an existing Barbie doll to LEARN how to make dolls that don't melt. So keep your tighty-whiteys on and chillax!"

Bruce muttered something under his breath but nodded.

"So it's settled. You two..." Tony pointed at the screens. "Are going to figure out how to make a doll. A doll that will fit in the dollhouses I am making. I don't have any problems with production, so I expect to be done with my dollhouses by tomorrow!"

He glanced backwards at his robots and Dum E. chirruped loudly. Then he lowered his voice, whispering loudly, "Provided the hired help doesn't blow a fuse..."

Pepper couldn't believe what she was hearing. Then she suddenly locked eyes with young Peter.

"Hi Miss Potts!" He said brightly, waving his hand. "What are you doing over there in the corner?"

She realized that she had been so distracted by what they were talking about, that she had absently walked out into the open.

"Hi Pepper." Bruce said shyly.

"Hey guys." She waved back with a smile, amused by Tony's horrified face. "How are you both holding up?"

"Doing great, Miss Potts, I mean Miss Stark, I mean Mrs. Stark! I was so bored with home school and being stuck all day indoors with nothing to do but then Mr. Stark told me about the S.O.H.S Avengers initiative and now I got so much to do and it's all so exciting and I'm just happy to be a part of it and get to work with-"

Peter's audio abruptly disappeared but he was still talking. Bruce covered his mouth with his hands, his shoulders shaking with mirth.

"Guys, I have to go. I'll talk to you later!" Tony disconnected the call and immediately turned to face her. "What's up, Potts?"

"Oh nothing much..." She casually strolled towards Dum E's workstation. "What are you upto, Stark?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tony has been caught... tune in next week to find out what happens next!


End file.
